Trouble Comes in Many Ways
by Kali-WolfChilde
Summary: Ever wondered what would happen if Josef met his match? Someone who's just as sassy as he is commanding? Hope you all like this. Will try to update once a week. R&R very much appreciated, as this is my first fanfic posting here. Sexual innuendo n last 1/2
1. Chapter 1

_**Episode One**_

_South Carolina; Monday, __October 11, 2010__; 11:00 a.m. _

The light, cooling breeze coming in through the window helped cool off my temper as I sat at the table in my friend's parents' garage. For the past two and a half hours, we'd been laying various card and dice games, and though I'd won some, I'd lost the major game, which had been a very short game of Texas Hold 'Em. That had irked me, until I realized I'd won yet another round of BlackJack Twenty-One.

Grinning, I raked in the coins and bills in the center of the table; we didn't play for all that much, usually, but we'd all gotten our paychecks Friday, we'd been betting more than just quarters and dollars at a time.

" Man, I can't believe you won again!" my friend, Carmen Lopez, exclaimed.

" That's the third Black-Jack game in a row!" Lizana Salvo – another Latina; in fact, I was the only white person at a table of six. The rest of my friends at this game were all Latina – exclaimed.

" Dang, girl, what are you, a Black-Jack pro?" Kyrah Sanchez asked me as she put away her Yahtzee winnings. We'd been playing Yahtzee, Black-Jack Twenty-One, Texas Hold 'Em Poker, Go Fish, and Lucky Dice – we'd invented the game. Six rolls of seven dice, with the top number being the winner – for the past two and a half hours, and we'd been having a grand time. I'd raked in a hundred dollars profit, and I already knew what I was going to spend it on.

" Nah, she's gotta be a card counter," Benny Lopez – Carmen's grandmother; ironically, Carmen's family had names identical to the Lopez's from the _George Lopez_ show, and they even acted like them sometimes – said as she came in, another bowl of chips and a bowl of salsa in her hands.

I snorted, stuffing my money into my pockets.

" If I was a card counter, Gramma Benny, I'd have gone to Vegas for my twenty-first birthday and cleaned house in an hour at the Black-Jack tables," I told her, grabbing a chip and some dip, then popping it into my mouth. She just shook her head, then left. She was like a grandmother to all of us, the kind of grandma you'd love to have in your corner if someone tried to mess with you.

" Nah, she ain't no card counter, she's an animal. She can sniff out the good cards," Kyrah Sanchez said.

" She's the White Panther!" Morgan Pomari – she worked as the spokeswoman-slash-model for the local offices of a line of beauty products – announced, and the others all laughed as they put away whatever they'd won.

" Rowr," I growled, arching my hand like a panther's clawed paw, and the laughter got louder. The laughter died down when my cell phone rang. Fishing it out of my pocket, I tossed it to Carmen to answer when I didn't recognize the number. Arching an eyebrow – she commonly answered phones for me when I didn't recognize the number, to throw off people who might be trying to trick me – she answered the phone, and began talking in rapid-fire Spanish, only a few words of it which I understood.

When she was done, she closed the phone and handed it back to me.

" Well? What'd they want?" I asked her.

" They said their friend is looking to hire a new head of security, and since they saw you take down that guy threatening Morgan last month when she did that shoot in Charleston, they recommended you to their friend. You've officially been hired, if you want the job," Carmen told me.

I stared at her. " What?" was all I could think of to say.

" They said they just put the five thousand dollar bonus outside the front door of your house. You want the job, all you have to do is use the money. The plane tickets are already bought and paid for, and are with the money," she told me.

Lizana, Kyrah, Morgan, and Chase all stared back and forth between Carmen and me.

" Girl you better jump on that," Kyrah told me.

" Yeah, five grand as a sign-on bonus is a major thing," Lizana said.

" But why would there be plane tickets?" I asked, and Carmen's smile got wider.

" The job's not exactly local," she explained.

" Where is it?" Chase asked her.

" The West Coast. L.A.," Carmen said.

There was complete silence, for all of five seconds, then my friends leapt to their feet and started doing crazy little dances.

" I can't believe you get to go to L.A.!" Chase exclaimed.

" You lucky little white girl," Kyrah teased me, laughing at the look I shot her.

" L.A. is the one place on the West Coast I've always dreamed of going," Morgan admitted. " The company hasn't had the chance to send me there yet, though."

" Oooh, get ready for gorgeous sandy beaches and hot blond men," Lizana said with a grin.

" Hey, I haven't accepted the job yet," I pointed out.

" You crazy?" Kyrah asked. " This is L.A. we're talking about. And a five-grand bonus. Imagine how much your hourly pay will be if someone wants you that bad, and is willing to fly you all the way across the country."

" Hey, maybe I could get a ticket and go with you," Morgan spoke up. " I could pitch the idea to my bosses, tell them I want to go do some in-person advertising on the West Coast, so I could post fliers and such around the city."

I thought on it for a few moments. " It would be nice to visit one of the biggest cities in the States," I mused. " And to see if the guys on the beaches there are hotter than here."

Lizana grinned and slapped Kyrah and Chase a high-five.

" We'll drive back to the house and help you get ready," Kyrah said.

" Why? We don't even know when the tickets are for," I pointed out.

" Yeah, but how many of us will ever see that much money at one time? Besides Morgan?" Chase pointed out.

I couldn't argue that point, so I grabbed my car keys, and the six of us left the garage and headed for our cars. Ten minutes later found us back at my house. As promised, the envelope with the cash and ticket had been hidden under the welcome mat at the front door, and after seeing that the tickets were for early Friday morning, I had my hands full keeping the excitement of my friends from exploding.

Morgan got on the phone the second she saw the ticket date, and after only ten minutes, she closed the phone, a smile on her face.

" We all need to pack our bags. I was able to convince the bosses to pay for air fare for all of us, and hotel stays for up to two weeks at whatever hotel we want, though they're not paying the rest of you to actually do the work of handing out fliers," she told the others.

They nearly went crazy at that, and began speaking in a mix of English and Spanish.

" _Adios_, _chica_, we gotta go pack," Lizana told me, and she, Kyrah, and Chase – they'd come in Kyrah's car – hurried out the door.

" We'll get together tomorrow to iron out the details," Morgan promised me, then left, taking Carmen with her.

Shaking my head at the absurdity of whoever had offered me the job, I picked up the envelope again, staring at the money, and the plane ticket.

" God, I sure hope that whoever wants me for this job ain't pullin' my leg," I muttered aloud to myself as I hurried to go start packing the clothes and things I planned to take with me.

_L.A.; Sunday, __October 17, 2010__; 10:00 a.m. _

I shook my head as I went over the plans the security men had brought to my hotel room half an hour ago.

" Huh uh, not good enough," I told them. " There need to be security cameras on every last entrance and exit out of the building, on both sides, in and out. There also need to be cameras on the doors to the bathrooms, and entrance to the building needs to be forbidden to all supposed workers and guests unless they have a pass and/or an appointment."

" We already have that system, Ma'am, but checking the passes of everyone in the building – that would be rather troublesome," the guy with the slightly spiky hair said.

" Yeah, I mean, there are at _least_ fifty people in the building most times of the day. Checking their I.D.'s coming to and from the building might not make some people too happy," Blond-Guy said.

" Tough," I simply said. " You yourselves told me the boss hasn't been happy with anyone that's been his head of security since someone blew up his office – and nearly him – a few months ago. He's had three men here since me. I aim to stick around longer than just a few months. And I figure by upping the security measures, that might help."

The two men looked at one another, then at the blueprints.

" The boss is going to want to know how much this is going to cost," Spike-Hair finally said.

" Tell him it'll cost whatever it does. When it comes to his safety, I'd think he'd want to spend whatever he has to," I simply said.

The two men looked at each other again, then at me.

" Who did you used to run security for?" Spike-Hair asked me.

" And how old are you?" Blond-Guy asked.

" I've run security for one of my best friends, a makeup spokeswoman, and it's never polite to ask a woman her age," I told them.

Spike-Hair bit back a laugh, then both men started grinning.

" It's going to be a whole lot of fun working for you, Ms. Panther," Spike-Hair told me.

" Please, unless we're on the job, call me Panther. The whole 'Ms.' Thing is going to be awkward enough to get used to," I told them, and their grins widened.

" You got it, Panther," Spike-Hair said, then he and Blond-Guy started getting their blueprints and such together. " We'll have the workers begin installation of the new security measures immediately."

" Can't wait to see you in the office tomorrow," Blond-Guy said.

" I can't wait to see her first meeting with the boss," Spike-Hair said, and both laughed as they left my room. Almost as soon as they left – the door didn't even close all the way – Morgan and Carmen came in and shut the door themselves.

" Where's Lizana, Kyrah, and Chase?" I asked.

" Oh, you know them," Carmen said.

" Out ogling fancy stuff in the trendy thrift shop down the block?" I asked.

" Out ogling guys," Morgan put in, and I snorted and shook my head.

" So, what were hottie one and hottie two doing in here?" Carmen asked.

" Those two? They're security guards at the place that hired me," I told her, and she arched an eyebrow. I knew she was going to say something sarcastic, and I was right.

" So, they're going to be working – under you?" she asked. Morgan burst out laughing, and I socked her with a pillow.

" You nasty little loony tune," I told her. " That's – wrong. I'm their boss, it is so not appropriate to even hint at that."

" And what if your boss tried to start something with you?" Carmen asked.

" One, I've never met him, and two, he's supposedly some rich, hot, powerful hedge-fund trader. There is no way on this Earth he'd ever go for a Plain Jane like me," I assured her.

" Hey, by the way, what's your boss's name?" Carmen asked.

" Don't know. I'll find out tomorrow when I get to work at ten," I said with a shrug. " Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go through my outfits and decide which one I'm going to wear tomorrow."

" C'mon, Carmen, maybe if we hurry, we can catch up with the rest of the gang and watch the hot guys walk down the street," Morgan said, grabbing Carmen's arm and dragging her from the room.

_L.A.; Monday, __October 18, 2010__; 1:00 p.m. _

Shoving my braid over my shoulder, I quickly went over the screen in front of me. It was one of those big fifty-two-inch screens – there were three, the outer two situated at tilted angles to the center one – and had views via twenty different cameras at any given time, as did the other two screens. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, I started to reach for my bottled water, stopping when Sam – Spike-Hair – poked his head into the office.

" Some dude is out here without a pass and wants to see the boss," he said.

" I'll handle it, Sam," I said, getting up and calmly slipping my taser rod into the front of my skirt. " But you can back me up."

Leaving the office, I moved out into the hallway, where the checking station had been set up. The guy standing there looked a little on the impatient side, but the guy behind him didn't seem to be in a hurry.

" What seems to be the trouble?" I asked.

" I need to see Josef," the guy in front said.

I gave him a slow once-over. " Does he have a pass?" I asked the guy at the station, and he shook his head. " Scan the database of the boss's friends for his name and picture, then." When the man's picture and name came up, I nodded, clapping the guy on the shoulder.

" You may go on up in a minute, Mr. St. John," I told the first man, turning my attention to the second man as St. John stepped past me for Sam to quickly run his wand over him.

When the guy sitting down entered the second guy's name into the database, it came up with nothing, even though the guy showed me his ID. Pretending to have found the man's ID, I nodded, then had him step past the checking station.

" I just need to pat you down real quick, Sir, and then I'll guide you up to Mr. Kostan's office," I told him, motioning for him to assume the right position. While I was patting him down, my hand encountered a small lump in his jacket pocket, but the expression on my face didn't change at all as I stepped away from him.

" Follow me," I said, heading for the elevators.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Episode Two**_

" Panther!" Sam cried out from behind me. I already had my hand halfway to my taser rod as I turned, but when I turned the man slashed what I was startled to see was a porcelain knife across my left arm, opening a gash that began oozing blood. Swearing, I yanked out my taser rod, ducking the guy's second swing, then thrusting the taser rod straight into the first place I could reach – his groin. And since the taser rod had a power voltage of three-hundred-thousand volts, the dude froze, then went down like a rock, his body convulsing several times as Sam and St. John hurried over to kneel on his back.

Sam quickly slapped a pair of cuffs on the man, even as I dropped the taser rod and clapped my hand over the cut on my arm, trying to ignore the pain of the cut. St. John came over when Sam seemed to have the dude under control; in other words, he'd used the butt of his gun to knock him out, and was on the phone with the rest of the team to let them know what'd happened.

" How bad is it?" St. John asked.

" I need a first-aid kit, now," I hissed, keeping pressure on the wound. " There's one in the – my office."

He put an arm around my waist, like I was a fragile little flower, helping me back to the office, then sitting me down in my chair. Handing me a handkerchief to press over the wound temporarily, he quickly found the first-aid kit, just as Sam appeared.

" Security's hauling that creep away to be taken to jail," he said, then hurried to the bathroom to grab a bowl of water and a cloth. I tried to tell the two men to let me take care of myself, but like I knew they would, they ignored me; St. John actually told Sam to go oversee the bad guy's being taken away, so he could handle caring for my wounded arm.

" You knew he had a knife," St. John said when Sam was gone.

" I'd planned to get him in the elevator, then tase him," I said, hissing as he hurriedly washed the wound with the antiseptic soap cloths, then cleaned it off.

" He could've killed you," he told me as he began applying the antiseptic salve to the wound, a special kind designed to help close wounds quicker. And the stuff stung like salt and rubbing alcohol together poured on a wound, which was not a pleasant thing, and caused me to clench my teeth to keep from cursing.

" I'm head of security here," I told him. " And it's my first day. I couldn't let that ass get to the boss, or anyone else. As the boss of the other guards, it's my responsibility to take on challenges like this before they spread."

" I can't believe Josef hired a kid," St. John muttered, and I gave him a look.

" I'm twenty-three. I am far from a kid," I assured him, then glanced down at my arm when he finished wrapping the medical gauze around it and used tape to tape the gauze on. " Thanks for the doctoring. Now I need to call a clean-up crew to clean up any blood that might've spilled."

" You need to go home," St. John told me, even as I picked up the phone to dial Sam's number to have him get the responsibility of cleaning up the accident out of the way.

" I'm not off of work until six, Mr. St. John, and it's my first day, so I have no intention of leaving early," I told him, my calm words covering how shaken I was inside. " You can go on up to Mr. Kostan's office now."

He left without saying another word, leaving me to put away the first-aid kit and the bowl of pink water and the cloth and trash. I was just sitting back down when Sam reappeared.

" You should go home," he told me.

" First day," I reminded him.

" Even Kostan would understand, Ms. Panther," he assured me.

" I want to make a good impression, Sam, and with me being a woman in this city, it's especially important to assure the boss that I'm not some fragile little porcelain flower that breaks with the first whack against a hard obstacle," I told him. " I'll go straight home when I get off at six."

" The cops will want a statement from you," he said.

" If the boss doesn't make me, then I'm not inclined to talk to them," I casually said. " I don't think that man wants anyone to know he got taken down by a woman and a taser shot to the groin."

A grin split Sam's face at that. " Yeah, I'm glad we have security cameras, because the look on his face was priceless." Then " Oh, and I did call someone to clean up. And I'll be checking in every half hour until you leave."

" Thanks. Later," I replied, then turned to the screens and immediately went over the footage of the attack.

_L.A.; Monday, __October 18, 2010__; 7:00 p.m. _

Shoving my hotel room door open – I'd lied to Sam, in the fact that I'd stopped by a Chinese place on the way back to my hotel, so I could get some food for me and the girls to share for supper – quickly went in to set the food down on the table in the corner. Going back to the door, I started to shut it, but stopped when the girls all appeared, all of them chatting and laughing as they came through the door. I had the door halfway shut when I saw Sam approaching.

Telling the girls I'd be right in, I started to duck into the hall, but he reached me before I could. " What brings you back to my hotel room?" I asked him.

" The boss sent me to make sure you're still alive," he said.

" It wasn't a life-threatening wound," I pointed out.

" Okay, he didn't send me, I asked him for an hour off to come make sure you were okay," he admitted. " You took a hit for the boss, and I respect you for that. You ever need anything – like a ride or something to and from work – just call."

" I will," I assured him, then pulled out of my pocket one of the fortune cookies I'd gotten, and tossed it to him. " Have a great night. See you tomorrow."

He grinned and left, allowing me to shut and lock the door.

" What happened?" Carmen and Morgan asked the minute I turned around.

" Er, nothing," I lied, then went over to the table to start dividing the cartons of food into the six plates.

" Bull, amiga," Kyrah said.

" The medical gauze on your arm is proof," Chase spoke up.

" Spill," Lizana told me as I handed out the plates to everyone, then sat cross-legged on my bed.

" I was – hurt at work," I hesitantly admitted.

" What, some girl want to get to your boss to feel him up, and she hit you?" Carmen sarcastically asked.

" No," I said. " Some guy with a porcelain knife tried to get up to the boss's office, and he attacked me. He cut me, but one of the boss's friends doctored me up, after I sent the thief to the floor via my taser rod meeting his groin."

" Oooohhhh!" they all winced.

" Dang, white girl, who knew being a security guard at a place like that could be so dangerous," Lizana said.

" You okay?" Carmen asked.

" Yeah, I'm fine. Just – a little shook up is all," I admitted. " But I'm glad I had my taser rod."

" If I'd been there, I'd have given him a kick," Morgan said, and the others laughed.

" Yeah right!" Chase snorted.

" Miss 'Queen Bee?' Get her pretty heels scuffed? Perish the thought!" Carmen exclaimed, and all of us laughed.

" You know all of us each own a pair of steel-toed boots, and steel-toed Nike's. And we all know we brought them with us," Morgan pointed out.

" True," we all agreed at the same time, then giggled again.

" If she'd had them on, that dude would never be able to have kids now," Chase said.

" Yeah. As it is, everything's probably already too fried anyways, as powerful as that taser rod is," Kyrah agreed.

" Amen to that," Lizana and Chase agreed. Our group was so close that we were constantly finishing each other's thoughts and sentences, or chiming up with comments at the exact same time.

" Girls, let's just forget about it, okay? Let's concentrate on two things far more important," Morgan said.

" Right. Great Chinese food, and the hilariousness that is Bill Engvall," I put in, turning the TV on and to Bill Engvall's _Country Fried Home Videos_.

_L.A.; Tuesday, __October 19, 2010__; 11:00 a.m. _

I rolled my eyes, blowing a few stray strands of hair out of my face, then tucking them behind my ear.

" I'm perfectly fine," I told Sam, then caught the tennis ball he tossed to me. We were in my office – it was pretty neatly-sized, with my own private bathroom; even it had video cameras in it, with a camera situated outside the door, and one situated right above the screens to watch whoever came up to the computer – but we were taking it easy, since Sam had gone behind my back and gotten someone to cover anything outside the office for me today.

" You were hurt yesterday. You need to take it easy, and even the guards that haven't even seen you yet agree on that," he casually said, then tossed the ball back to me, after I'd tossed it to him.

" God, I can't stand being treated like a fragile vase or flower," I growled, then threw the ball like a pitcher, causing him to jump to catch the ball. " I don't like being treated special just because I'm a woman. If I were a man, would y'all be treating me this way?"

" Um, we'd probably be slapping you on the back and challenging you to a wrestling competition by now," Sam admitted. Then " After insisting you took a day off to rest."

Rolling my eyes, I held my hands up for him to toss the ball back to me, pausing when the office phone rang. Wondering who it could be, I walked over, picking it up without looking at the ID.

" Panther," I simply said.

" Ms. Panther, a pleasure to hear your voice," a strange man said.

" May I ask who's calling?" I asked, having no clue as to who it could be.

" Josef," he said, and my back went ramrod straight.

" What can I do for you, Sir?" I asked.

" I would like for you to go home," he said.

I was stunned at that. " But Sir, I'm supposed to be working, and this is only my second day," I protested.

" My friend tells me you were hurt, and lost about a pint of blood, Ms. Panther. I like to make sure my employees rest when they should. Go home," he said.

I bit back a retort, which would definitely have gotten me fired. " Yes, Sir. Have a great day," I told him.

" I hope to have time to meet you soon," he replied, then hung up, prompting me to hang up as well.

" Problem?" Sam asked.

" That St. John guy from yesterday, the that doctored me up, he blabbed to the boss about me getting attacked and almost losing a pint of blood, and now, I've been ordered to go back to the hotel to rest up," I muttered, then began getting my stuff together.

" You okay?" Sam asked as I put my purse over my shoulder and tucked my keys inside.

" Yeah, I'm fine. But I have no plans to simply relax and lay back lie a damsel in distress or something. I'm going to work out with the new punching bag my friend Morgan gave me this morning," I told him, and he started grinning as he turned to walk with me out of the office.

" Want me to give you a ride home? I'd be happy to call in sick to hold the punching bag still for you," he joked as I showed my pass to the guy at the check-in station – even I was required to check in and out, something I'd actually request – then we walked towards the building's front doors.

" Nah, that's okay. I'd hate for you to use one of your sick days," I told him as we approached my car, a rental Morgan had gotten for me. " Besides, I might accidentally miss the bag and hit you. And if I messed up your pretty little face, how else would you attract droves of women?"

He burst out laughing at that, holding my car door open for me.

" I could use my charming wit," he said as I started the car and buckled. " Or use you as my wing woman."

" Yeah, right," I said with a snort, then pulled my door shut.

" See you tomorrow!" Sam said, then headed back inside. Shaking my head, I activated the GPS – I was _not_ going to drive around any city even a third this size without GPS – then went back to the hotel. Wasting no time, I slipped out of my work clothes – long khaki-colored silk skirt, short-sleeved V-necked white blouse, tan hose, and white below-the-knee work boots – and into my workout clothes, which consisted of shorts, a belly-baring, sleeveless top, and wrist gloves. Pulling the punching bag to the clearest space on the floor, I turned on my music, then began my workout, funneling all my energy into it.

_L.A.; Tuesday, __October 19, 2010__; 9:00 p.m. _

I laughed and shook my head. " No way," I insisted, downing a gulp of ice water.

" C'mon, Panther, we've all done it on the dare since we got here. It's your turn," Kyrah chided me.

" Not gonna happen," I said, taking a bite of my stuffed portobello mushroom.

" Hey, you chose dare," Lizana pointed out.

I groaned. " It seems so – weird to do something like that," I said.

All five gave me pointed looks. " Says the self-proclaimed vampire nut," Chase said. Giving her a look now, I set my food aside and grabbed my laptop. Creating a profile on the website they'd dared me to go to – they were already on there – I went to the section they'd said to go to on my profile. Taking a deep breath, I began typing, telling the honest truth, despite my reluctance, because I knew full well the girls knew me enough that they'd know if I lied.

When I was done typing, I started to close the laptop, but Carmen was too quick, and grabbed it from me, then began reading.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Episode Three**_

" 'My ultimate vampire fantasy. I would love for a sexy, rich, dark-eyed vampire to come to me on Halloween night. He would give me a costume exactly like Akasha's earlier in the day, though made of real gold and silk, and would have someone do my makeup like hers, complete with the clip on fangs identical to hers. After he picked me up in his limo, we would go to the nearest beach for a Halloween party.'"

" 'We would dance – or he could watch me dance – and I would lose myself to the music. After drinking and snacking at the buffet tables, we would return to the limo, and he would take me back to a hotel, or some place with lots of candles. He would then undress me, and after kissing every possible inch of my body, and caressing me as well, we would then proceed to act out some of my – tamer fantasies, and he would bite me and feed from me multiple times,'" Carmen read.

It took about five seconds for my words to sink in, then everyone started laughing, nearly falling off the bed and out of their chairs as their bodies shook. My face red, I snatched my laptop back away from Carmen, closing it down, then shutting it and putting it back on the nightstand.

" Oh, shut up," I told them all. " Some of the stuff y'all wrote ain't exactly tame."

" Yeah, but it's funny to hear you write it for just anyone to see!" Kyrah exclaimed.

" Yeah, you're Little Miss I'm-uncomfortable-even-hinting-at-erotic-stuff," Chase agreed.

" We should give her a break," Morgan finally said. " After all, we all know if vamps were real, she'd be the first of us to become one, and then we'd have to run and hide because she'd likely try to come and get us back."

" Dang straight," I agreed, and grinned, then they all sobered up – well, mostly, because Chase and Lizana had been drinking pina coladas, and Morgan, Carmen, and Kyrah had been nursing daiquiris.

" So, Panther, if you could choose one totally freaky thing to do with your vampire lover, what would it be?" Carmen asked, and I tried not to blush harder.

I gave her a pointed look. " He would try to get me to do things with him, but I'd fight him, get him to use his strength against me. He'd leave me with a little bruising from how rough he was, but I wouldn't say a word, because I'd love it," I flat-out told her.

They all stared at me in shock at that.

" You'd want him to get rough?" Kyrah asked me.

I gave her a slow smile. " Uh, duh. What would be the point in having a vampire to fool around with if you couldn't get him to be rough? If I could have a vampire to fool around with, I could be very – creative, far more creative than I can even think about mentioning to you five," I told her.

Morgan tried to hide a smile, Kyrah went back to eating while trying not to laugh, and Chase, Carmen, and Lizana grinned openly.

We all ceased talking and kept on eating as we watched one of my DVD's, Bill Engvall's _Here's Your Sign_.

_L.A.; Monday, __October 25, 2010__; 11:00 a.m. _

I grinned as I jumped up and caught the ball that Sam had tossed off the wall, coming down in a crouch on the floor.

" Told ya I could beat you at catching wild balls," I told him as I straightened up, then whirled and threw the ball under my arm and around my back. He barely caught the ball – we were fooling around with the tennis ball in my office, since I had from eleven to twelve-thirty today on break, as did he – then grinned, and chunked the ball back to me.

It started to sail past me, but I jumped, whirled, and caught it just before it hit the wall. When I straightened up and turned around again, I found a strange man standing behind Sam, in the doorway.

" Can I help you?" I asked him.

" I'm Guillermo Gasol. Mr. Kostan asked me to come by and check your cut today," he said. I groaned, then went and sat on my chair, setting my arm on the drawer by the keyboard.

" It's healing fine, Mr. Gasol. I don't know why the boss is so concerned," I said, allowing the man to remove the gauze wrapping, and the bandage. When he began gently touching the skin around the wound, I forced myself not to wince, because it was still tender and sore to certain amounts of pressure and touch.

" It does seem to be healing fine," Gasol agreed, then reapplied a thin layer of medication to the cut, putting another bandage over it and rewrapping it. " Do you feel any pain when you accidentally bump it against anything."

" Some, but it's no big deal. Nothing a nice music CD and a relaxing bath doesn't help me forget about," I said with a shrug.

He took his gloves off, putting them in a plastic bag inside the medical bag he had, then closing the bag.

" If you need anything, Mr. Kostan has my number," he said. Then " Did you really use your taser rod on the guy?"

I grinned. " He's lucky I didn't have my steel-toed boots on. I'd have used them instead of the taser rod."

A small smile lit his face, then he left, shaking his head.

" Would you really have kicked the guy?" Sam asked as I got up and moved back to where I'd been standing.

" Dude, I tased him there," I pointed out. " Heck yeah, I'd have kicked him."

" Remind me never to get you mad," Sam said.

I gave him a mock smile, then a genuine laugh. " The attack is on disc, Sam. I don't need to remind you," I pointed out.

" True," he agreed, then threw the ball back to me.

_L.A.; Saturday, __October 30, 2010__; 10:00 a.m. _

I grinned at Morgan as we lounged together by the pool at the hotel. The pool was guarded by a ten-foot-tall wrought iron gate, and covered by a white tarp about two feet above the gate, to prevent people in the pool from getting burned while they swam. And even though it was late October, here, swimming was perfectly fine, because it was always so much hotter here than back home.

" I can't believe you got invited to that Halloween party tomorrow night at the beach," I told her, glad that the sun was covered by clouds, because my eyes were sensitive to sunlight.

" Yeah, well, being a spokesperson-slash-model has its perks," she casually said, taking a sip of her strawberry daiquiri.

" Wish we could get some of those perks," Lizana said.

" What are you talking about, you all are going, too," I pointed out. " You all got a) Invitations, because you got b) Dates with c) Some of my boss's friends."

" Hey, we can't help we got dates with your boss's friends," Carmen pointed out.

" You know you can come to. I have contacts that could get you in," Morgan told me.

" Go to a party like that alone," I said. " Nope. I'll stay here, maybe go for a swim. I might even soak in the Jacuzzi."

The girls all gave me sympathizing looks, our gazes moving towards the pool gates when one of the hotel boys came inside.

" Ms. Pomari, your date for the party said to tell you he'd pick you up tomorrow night at eight," the man said.

" Thank you," she replied, giving him a two-dollar tip. He smiled, tucking the two dollars into his shirt pocket before leaving.

" So, who's your date?" I asked Morgan as I sat up, sliding my legs over the side of the lounge chair.

" I'm not telling you," she said as all six of us got up and got our pool gear together, then moved back towards the hotel.

" C'mon, y'gotta tell," I said. " I'm not going to be able to go. The least you can do is tell me who you're going with."

She shook her head as we went in through the hotel's back entrance, the one reserved for the people that went to and from the pool area.

" Sorry. You'll have to wait until he comes to pick me up for the party to find out," she said.

" You won't even give me a tiny hint?" I asked.

She smirked as we stepped off the elevator. " He's in the medical field, and he's very hot," she said.

" Well, duh on the hot part. He'd have to be hot to go after you," Kyrah piped up.

" Yeah, Miss Model wouldn't date anyone who wasn't at least a seven," Lizana said as we reached her and Chase's room.

" See you all later for the nighttime swim," Chase said as she and Lizana ducked into their room.

" I don't know about you three, but I'm looking forward to some R-and-R until tomorrow night," Kyrah said, before she and Carmen headed into their room.

" See you tonight," Morgan told me, then ducked into her room. Shaking my head at her being so secretive about her date – she hadn't even told me what costume she was going to wear – I went into my own room, shucking my bathing suit before climbing into the shower.

_L.A.; Sunday, __October 31, 2010__; 6:00 p.m. _

Flipping my ponytail over my shoulder, I stared at the TV screen, my eyes glued to it as I watched another rerun of Bill Engvall's _Country Fried Home Videos_. The girls had all gone into town to go to the spa, to get their hair, nails, and toes done, as well as to get facials, but since I wasn't invited to the party, I was stuck here in my room.

Just as I was thinking about maybe going for a swim, there was a knock on the door. Curious as to who it could be, I got up to answer it, puzzled to find three women and two men standing in the hall, their arms loaded down with boxes and bags.

" Um, can I help you?" I asked them.

" Ms. Panther?" the woman in the lead – a gorgeous Chinese woman – asked.

" Uh, yeah," I hesitantly admitted.

She handed me a piece of paper, and I quickly scanned over it.

" Seriously?" I asked. " Some – rich stranger invited me to the beach party tonight, and paid for my costume?"

" Yes. We are here to start getting you ready, to make sure you are properly bathed and your hair and makeup – as well as your costume – are flawless," she said.

" How am I supposed to pay for any of this?" I wondered.

" He did," she simply said. Very rarely one to turn down anything that was – legally, and morally – free, I stepped aside and let the group in, shutting and relocking the door, then turning and watching as they began setting up a space on the table for their makeup kits.

The Chinese woman handed me a bag of shower supplies. " Take no more than thirty minutes. We will wash your hair in the sink – crude though it may be – and take care of the rest."

Hesitating, I nonetheless took the bag and hurried into the bathroom.

_L.A.; Sunday, __October 31, 2010__; 9:00 p.m. _

I restlessly fidgeted as the car I was in came to a stop. " Can I please take the blindfold off now?" I asked the driver. I knew there was a driver, but other than what I could hear, smell, or feel inside the car – nothing of the first two, though the seats felt like really soft leather – I knew nothing else, not even what costume I had on. The directions in the letter had said I was to be blindfolded after my costume was put on, and I wasn't supposed to touch it. Fearing what was going on, I'd gone along with the demands.

My door opened, and a hand reached in, helping me out. The door was then closed, and the blindfold was removed. Blinking my eyes open, I looked up at the person who'd removed the blindfold, only to find that it was a man in a chauffeur's uniform. Having a sinking feeling, I turned to look back, and found a limo. The feeling getting worse, I took off the trench coat I'd been asked to put on, freezing when I saw my outfit.

" Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," I whispered, then stared at my reflection in the limo's shiny windows as the chauffeur took my trench coat and put it over his arm.

" Your date will join you on the beach," he told me, then climbed back into the limo.

Feeling exposed and freaked out, I hurriedly left the parking lot and went down onto the beach sands, my feet soon becoming covered with sand as I searched for five faces in particular. Spotting a familiar woman dressed in a colorful Indian costume, I made a beeline for her, grabbing her arm and dragging her aside.

" Carmen Lorenza Lopez, start talking, and start talking now," I hissed at her. It took her a few seconds to recognize me, then her jaw dropped and her eyes widened.

" _Panther_?" she gasped, taking a step back to stare at me.

" You seem surprised," I noted. Then " If you didn't set me up for this, who did?"

" I have no clue, but that outfit looks _killer_," she said.

" Are those fangs?" her date asked.

" Yeah," I said, briefly flashing my fangs at them. " I thought they were fixing me up in some weird sort of vampire getup. I had no clue it was going to be this costume."

" You look great," Carmen told me, briefly embracing me. " The others are all here. Lizana's a Samurai warrior, Kyrah's a ninja, Morgan's a belly dancer, and Chase is a pirate."

I started to ask her who Morgan's date was, but the music started up then, drawing me towards the dance floor; technically, it was just a giant series of smooth carpet-covered metal sheets nailed together. Realizing the song was Lady Gaga's _Telephone_ – didn't like the music video, but loved the song – I started to move my body to the music, ignoring the cheers, jeers, and stares I got as I let the music get my body to moving.


	4. Chapter 4

WARNING: Some sexual tension-slash-kinkiness involved in this chapter/ep. R&R always appreciated.

_**Episode Four**_

When the song was over, there was a brief pause while the guy on the stage made an announcement about a dance-off at eleven. Just as another song – one I didn't recognize – came on, my arm was grabbed and I was dragged just off the edge of the dance floor.

It wasn't until I could clearly see the woman's face that I realized it was Morgan. Her outfit was so revealing, and her makeup so well done – that it'd taken me a few seconds to realize it was actually her.

" Oh my God," she said, then gave me a quick hug. " I can't believe he actually went through with it and got you the entire costume and invited you."

" Who?" I asked her. Then I realized what she said. " Oh my G – you set me up. You told someone about my – vamp fantasy," I hissed, the last part being said barely loud enough for her to hear.

" Just the invitation-to-a-Halloween-beach-party-slash-dressing-up-as-Akasha part," she told me. " And anyways, I think you're going to love who your date is," she told me, her gaze moving past me. A very familiar man in scrubs then appeared, and my eyes briefly widened. " Have fun," Morgan told me, then turned and hurried away.

" You look stunning," a voice said from behind me, and I jumped and whirled to find a man in a very expensive nineteen-fifties' suit standing there.

" Do I know you?" I asked him, staring down at his hand when he reached out to grab my wrist, also watching as he placed a kiss on the back of my hand, which made a strange thrill course through me.

" I am your date for tonight," he said as he straightened back up, his dark eyes slowly roving over me. " I would like to see you dance some more."

" I – um – sure," I hesitantly said, and started to move onto the dance floor, but a slower song suddenly came on, and before I could think, the man had whisked me onto the dance floor, one hand clasping mine, the other firmly anchored on my waist. Feeling scared, thrilled, and awkward, I tried my best to keep up with him, glad when I actually was able to. All too soon, though, the song was over, and the man brushed another kiss across the back of my hand before melting into the crowd.

Figuring he wasn't inclined towards the modern dances, I shrugged, then began moving my body to the music again, the heavy crown on my head not bothering me one bit as I moved.

_L.A.; Sunday, __October 31, 2010__; 11:00 p.m. _

A happy grin was on my face as I came to a stop on the dance floor, a light sheen of sweat clinging to my body as the crowd erupted in wild applause, cheers, and whistling.

" Let's give it up again for the single ladies of L.A.!" the announcer said about a minute later, and the applause and cheers became thunderous again, quieting down only when he raised his hand. " The party may be over now, but tomorrow, there's going to be a post-Halloween all-day party bash here, so bring your invitations, your towels, and your swim trunks or bikinis, because it's going to be hot!"

Cheers for that fact rang out, then people began dancing a little as about half the partygoers left, the ones still dancing doing so only because someone had brought a boombox and was blasting music through their speakers while the DJ and the crews appeared to start taking down the stage.

I was in the parking lot before I realized that I had no way to get back to my hotel. My musings were interrupted when the man that'd said he was my date appeared, and guided me over to a limo that was parked a few cars down from where I was standing. Having a really strange feeling about how the night had gone, I hesitantly climbed in, trying not to fidget when the man climbed in behind me. My nerves really started jumping when the man pulled out a blindfold, but I felt like I shouldn't protest – and I had no clue why – so I let him blindfold me.

Glad that he didn't try to touch me, though not sure I would've minded if he even had, I became more nervous when the limo stopped again about half an hour later, and the man helped me out of the limo. He led me inside a building, then onto an elevator. My heart slowly began to speed up a few beats, and when I heard the man open a door and then he guided me through – and the smell of something burning hit my nostrils – I couldn't stand it any more.

Reaching up, I hurriedly untied the blindfold, blinking my eyes to get them adjusted to the lighting. What I saw made my mouth open in shock. Candles decorated every table and flat surface in the room. Glancing to my left, right, and straight ahead revealed that the kitchenette also was decorated with a variety of candles, as was the bedroom.

" What the – who did this?" I asked.

" I had someone do it just before we arrived. Do you like it?" my date asked.

" Yeah, it's just like my – like a dream I had," I said, the uneasy feeling increasing dramatically when I felt the guy take a step towards me. My fear suddenly blossomed, and I started to turn towards the door, but the guy grabbed me and pinned me to the wall, giving me no room to turn around.

" Let me go," I whispered, my voice for some reason not working right.

" I thought you said you wanted to have fun," he said, his breath fanning out across my skin, causing me to shiver.

" You read my profile," I guessed.

" Your friend told me about it," he said, then turned me around. I thought I was scared, until I looked up and saw that sometime during the limo ride, the man had donned ice blue contacts, and a pair of very-sharp-looking fangs. That made my heart rate and pulse begin to speed up.

" Oh, God," I whispered, stunned when the man suddenly leaned forward and gave me a long, passionate kiss, his fangs nipping my lip when he drew back a short while later. Thinking he was some sort of freak – I'd really only meant what I'd written as a joke – I managed to get free of the man, racing for the safety of the bathroom, but the man caught me before I got there, pinning me against the wall in the bedroom. Almost before I could even blink, he'd kicked his shoes off, and had picked me up, setting me on the bed.

I started to jump off, but his grip on my arms tightened as he lowered himself onto the bed, and a low chuckle came up from his throat.

" I think you have far too many clothes on," he said, then moved to straddle my waist as he removed the crown and hair clips from my head. Moving quickly, he had my skirt off before I could stop him, leaving me in nothing but my undies and my barely-there top.

I tried to shove him away, my fear clogging my throat now, but his grip on my arms was like a vise; what little movement I had, I knew he allowed simply for his amusement. Then he was leaning down, his lips again claiming mine, his hands coming to roam all over my body. I fought it, shoving at his chest, and pounding my fists against his head, shoulders, arms, and chest, but he didn't stop, and the feeling soon began to overwhelm me.

When he pinched my hip hard enough so that I knew it would leave a bruise, I inadvertently hissed, and arched briefly up against him. My gaze both angry and filled with emotions I tried and failed to hide, I stared up at the man, fearing what he would do next.

" Say you want this," he said, but I shook my head, again trying to shove him off of me. In the blink of an eye, his shirt and jacket were gone, and he was leaning down over me, his lips again claiming mine, his hands possessively roaming all over my body. I tried clawing at him, and knew that I scored several hits because he groaned and hissed, but they were ineffectual, and within about ten minutes of the heavy make-out session, I found myself responding wholeheartedly, the marks I left on his back and arms left from passion, my hands now tangled in his hair.

His kisses began raining down my jawline, and on down to my throat. When two sharp pinpricks of pain pierced my throat, I gasped and again started to try shoving the man away, but his arms came to surround my body, easily trapping me against him. He took only a little of my blood, then stopped, drawing back to stare at me. Seeing my blood on his lips – though it was only a few drops – made me go completely still. For all of five seconds; then I pulled his face back down to mine, all sane and rational thoughts flying straight out the proverbial window as I allowed my body's need for passion to override my mind's sensible thoughts.

_L.A.; Monday, __November 1, 2010__; 8:00 a.m. _

The sound of a bird chirping somewhere outside sliced through the veil of fog surrounding me. Groaning, I pulled the covers up over my head, then realized the noise was in the room with me. My memories came back to me then, and I sat bolt upright, ignoring the slight dizziness as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

" About time she woke up," I heard someone say from the bathroom.

I started to glance towards the bathroom, my gaze swinging to the door as Morgan and Carmen came in, followed closely by Kyrah.

" What the – is that a hickey?" Kyrah asked, and then all five of my friends were heading towards me. Bolting off the bed, I dashed into the bathroom and slammed the door, staring at myself in the mirror. I had a bite mark on the left side of my throat, a bite mark on each of my wrists, and a bite mark on my left arm, just below my elbow. My face paled, and when Morgan tried to peek in the door after cracking it open, I grabbed her and pulled her inside, pushing her against the door, thereby shutting it back.

" You told someone about my vampire fantasy!" I hissed, and her eyes moved to the bite marks on my arm, wrists and throat, her own face paling a little.

" He – actually – bit you?" she asked, her face growing paler when she noticed the stormy look in my eyes.

" You told him, and everything that happened happened according to what I posted on that website," I hissed at her.

" How did you get – back here?" she finally asked, seeming to have to search for the words.

" I don't know. I passed after – oh, crap. After he did things to me, with his hands, lips, and teeth," I hissed, too mad to blush; that is, too mad to blush beet red. My cheeks did become slightly pink.

" I can't believe he – ah – did – that," Morgan said, clamping her mouth shut when I shot her a warning look.

" Get the others out of here. I need to eat, get these bites covered up, then get dressed and ready for work," I told her.

" Maybe you should – you know – take a sick day," she suggested.

" You know, right now, work might be the only thing that keeps me from going insane right now," I told her, resisting from shoving her back out the door. She decided to leave on her own and I heard her persuading the others to leave with her. Glad for that, I climbed into the shower, eagerly beginning to scrub my body from head to toe.

_L.A.; Monday, __November 1, 2010__; 11:00 a.m. _

A hand landed on my shoulder, and I reacted on instinct, grabbing the person's wrist and pinning them up against the wall.

" Whoa, easy there, Panther, it's me," Sam said, his voice sounding weird because of his face being mashed against the wall.

Realizing it was him, I immediately let him go and backed away from him, trying to slow my heart rate down by doing deep breathing, something I'd taught myself to do a long time ago.

" Geez, what's up with the cat-like reflexes?" Sam asked, readjusting his uniform jacket. He and the other men on the security team – I was the only woman – all wore matching uniforms, but I usually wore whatever I wanted, as long as it was a long skirt and a simple blouse, and as long as it was either beige, white, black, or dark blue; I also had to wear my badge and my taser rod, my gun, and pepper spray.

Then he saw the bandages on my throat and arm; I'd used a pair of Morgan's arm braces to cover the bite marks on my wrists.

" What happened to you?" he asked.

" I went to that party last night on the beach, and when I was on my way to the parking lot, I slipped and fell against a tree. I was okay, but I didn't want people to see the scratches or the cuts," I told him, the lie easily slipping off my tongue.

The need to go cool off came over me, so I excused myself to go to the bathroom. Turning the sink on, I splashed some cooling water on my face, using the towel to wipe the dripping water away. Leaning against the wall for a few seconds, I figured it was time to face Sam and talk about how well the security measures were working, so I put the towel back on it rack and opened the door.

I was halfway back to Sam before I saw that he was talking with someone, and when that person looked up, my face nearly drained of color, because it was the guy from last night.

Sam looked back to see what he was staring at, then smiled.

" Mr. Kostan, this is Ms. Panther, our head of security. She's been wanting to meet you since she started here," Sam told him. then he noticed how pale my face was. " Geez, you don't look so good," he told me.

" Sam, I believe I need to have a small chat with Ms. Panther. Could you turn off the security cameras in here?" the guy asked Sam. Nodding, Sam did so without question, then left. Even as the door was shutting, I bolted for the bathroom, but I couldn't get inside before the guy grabbed me. I tried to fight his grip, but he wound up moving me into the bathroom, then closing the door, pinning me against the wall.

" Oh, God. I made out with my boss," I whispered, struggling to rein in my instincts to gag. Dude was even hotter in the suit he was in now, with his hair the way it was, but I still felt guilty about doing what I'd done.

He reached out and tucked a few stray strands of hair behind my ear, his body situated so that I had no room to move my lower half.

" You didn't seem to mind last night," he said, a low growl rumbling from his throat when I tried to shove him away, and he grabbed my wrists in my hand, pinning my arms above my head.


	5. Chapter 5

WARNING: Some sexual tension-slash-kinkiness involved in this chapter/ep. Some violence as well. R&R always appreciated.

_**Episode Five**_

" Let me go," I demanded, trying to show that I was angry, but inside, feeling extremely hot – and very much turned on by his aggressive behavior, as I had been last night and early into this morning.

" Beg," he challenged me. I forced a glare onto my face.

" Go take a sunbath," I retorted, twisting again and trying to free myself, which only added to the erotic tension building in the room.

His grip tightened on my wrists, then he released them as his lips came down to cover mine, his hands anchoring on my waist. I was stunned at the suddenness of the kiss, and before I could respond fully, he'd stopped, his dark eyes mischievous as he stepped away from me.

Without a word, he left, leaving me alone. Feeling shaken, I stayed there for another two minutes before hurrying back out into the office and taking a seat in my chair.

_L.A.; Tuesday, __November 2, 2010__; 7:00 p.m. _

" Come on, Panther, you can't seriously still be mad," Morgan said via the cell phone I had tucked to my ear as I relaxed at the pool at the hotel. Few people were here this time of day, though a nine o'clock party was scheduled.

" I'm sorry, Morgan, but I just – I haven't felt much like socializing lately. I'm lucky I even went to work today, or stayed yesterday," I apologized.

" Amiga, you don't really know what happened," she said.

" And you do?" I asked.

" More than you realize, Panther," Morgan said. " Look, you need to have company right now."

" I'm fine, Morgan. I feel better than I have in a long time. Turns out that what – happened the other night lifted my spirits. I don't feel so sad about having to live in the city instead of the country," I told her.

" I know, but – " she began, but I cut her off.

" You and the others should have fun going to that party at that nightclub in San Francisco. I'll be fine here," I assured her.

" Okay, but if you need help, you call, okay? We won't hesitate to come back immediately," she said.

" I know. Have a great time," I replied, then hit the end button and shut the phone. Deciding I'd better get inside before the party started – I wasn't in the mood to party with a bunch of strangers right now – I gathered my pool gear together and went up to my room.

Putting everything where it was supposed to go, I was grabbing a change of clothes out of the closet when I heard the door handle moving. Turning, I raised the vase I'd picked up, ready to throw it, but I paused as the door opened, and in strode Josef. His gaze casually raked over me as he shut the door, relocking it behind himself.

When he took a step towards me, I did throw the vase, but he simply moved aside, and it shattered against the wall.

When I turned to run for the bathroom, he came up behind me, grabbing me and whirling me until I was pinned against the wall.

" I don't appreciate that," he told me, his breath fanning out over my shoulders.

" Kiss my ass," I spat back.

" That's not how you're supposed to talk to your boss," he told me.

" You're my boss there. I'm off-duty here," I retorted, trying to get free, and failing. " Let me go, Mr. Kostan, or I swear I'll have a lawsuit and a resignation letter on your desk tomorrow morning."

" I don't think so, Panther," he said, roughly pinching my butt, causing me to hiss and jump in shock. His teeth lightly scraped my shoulder, and I couldn't help leaning back against him.

" Get out," I managed to say, groaning when he nipped my shoulder with his teeth again. Only this time, I felt the sting of very sharp teeth. Adrenaline surged through me, and I managed to turn around, my breath catching in my throat when I saw that Josef's eyes were again icy blue.

" You – what – Christ," I stammered.

He bared his teeth then, and I saw his fangs. My phone rang suddenly, startling me. I somehow managed to get free of Josef and dove for the phone, quickly flipping it open.

" Morgan, get back – " I started to say, but the phone was quickly plucked from my hand, and I turned to stare in fear at him.

" I am taking care of Ms. Panther, Ms. Pomari," Josef simply said, then hung up, tossing the phone past me and onto the dresser. When he started towards me, I dove for the bathroom again, but he again grabbed me, roughly pinning me to the wall. Glaring, I reached up and slashed my fingers across his face. Three small cuts opened up, and I nearly choked when they quickly healed back up.

" Shit," I whispered, then started struggling harder. Josef easily ignored my struggles, pulling my head to the side, roughly yanking the gauze off my throat, then sinking his fangs into my neck. I gasped with shock, my fingers digging into his shoulders as he drank but a few sips of my blood before stopping.

When our eyes met again, I saw the hunger and power in his eyes. I was on the bed before I could blink, and Josef was shirtless about five seconds after that, his icy blue eyes boring into my eyes.

" What are you going to do to me?" I asked him.

" What I did the other night," he replied, and then his lips were on mine again, his hands starting to rove roughly over my bikini-clad body, pinching me and causing me to moan and hiss in pleasure-pain.

_L.A.; Monday, __November 8, 2010__; 11:00 p.m. _

I tried my best not to glance over at Josef as he sat playing poker with several of his friends, Mick among the group of four. I was only here because I'd heard rumors that someone was after Josef for some reason, and since Sam had tonight off, I'd had to come up here to guard Josef by myself, despite the fact that I wasn't supposed to be here either. As head of security, though, it was my job, and after getting over the shock of finally meeting me, Josef's other two friends seemed highly amused, and were still teasing him, even though they'd been playing for two hours straight already.

Feeling a little restless, I idly leaned against the wall, pulling my phone out to check and see if I had any messages.

" She always this nervous on the job?" one of Josef's friends asked.

" Maybe she's nervous around us because we're a bunch of men playing high stakes poker," the other stranger in the group suggested.

" Trust me, gentlemen, if this were Black-Jack Twenty-One, and I had the kind of money you all have, you'd be the ones fidgeting," I assured him, never looking up.

" Ouch," the first guy said.

" After this hand, I'll loan you the money for the buy in," the second guy suggested.

" Be nice to play with a woman for a change," the first guy put in.

" Not tonight, boys," I said, never looking up from my phone as I sent Morgan a text message explaining why I wasn't back at the hotel yet. " I'm on duty."

My walkie talkie suddenly staticed, so I unhooked it from the belt tied around my waist.

" Panther here," I said.

" Ms. Pan – ther," I heard someone gasp, and I instantly went still.

" Three – men – silver – bullets," I heard the check-in guy say, and then I heard the sound of something crashing to the floor. I immediately clipped the walkie talkie back to my belt.

" I need to get you four out of here, and now," I told Josef, Mick, and Josef's other two friends.

My words came maybe two seconds before something slammed against the office doors. I barely had time to react before they suddenly flew open, and in poured three men dressed in all-black clothing and face masks. I yanked my gun from its holster as Josef and his friends dove for cover.

" Freeze!" I demanded of the three men, and when the leader looked at me, he laughed.

" You are a mere woman," he said with a strange accent. " You can do nothing to harm us."

Feeling like I had to prove myself, I fired at his feet, narrowly missing his left foot.

" Take her out," he ordered, then started towards Josef and his friends. I dove at him, slamming the butt of my gun across his temple, and even as he fell, something skimmed my left arm. Hissing, I turned towards the shooter, and wound up getting shot straight through the lower left abdomen. My eyes wide, I fell to the floor like a load of bricks, shock coursing through my system as I pressed my hands to the wound to try and stem the rapid flow of blood.

But my eyes weren't on the wound – they were on Josef and Mick – and Josef's two friends – as they came out of hiding and began dodging the bullets as they took on the remaining two men. And I also saw that Mick and Josef's other two friends were just like him. As Josef's other two friends took down the last guy with a punch to the face and a kick to the gut, Mick suddenly appeared by my side.

As he knelt down, I flinched away from him, afraid of all of them now as I glanced up to see Josef's friends tying up the two almost-dead men while Josef hauled the one I'd clubbed to his feet.

" Who hired you?" Josef asked him.

" Go to hell," the man replied, and I flinched when Josef threw the man into the wall hard enough to not only knock him out, but to break something; I heard the sickening crack.

" I need to help you," Mick told me, removing his jacket, but I shoved his hands away, nauseous at the sight of so much of my blood coating my hands, clothes, and the floor. Mick again tried to press his jacket to the wound, but I shoved at his hands again, smearing blood on his shirt sleeve.

" Christ," one of Josef's stranger friends whispered, and when I looked up and saw that his eyes were still icy blue, I flinched, then tried to crawl backwards. I got maybe an inch before collapsing again, my energy fleeing me as quickly as my blood was leaving me.

Everyone's eyes went back to normal, then Josef hurried over.

" Check – Jonas," I rasped, meaning the check-in guy downstairs.

" I need to get her to the hospital," Mick told Josef, ignoring my third feeble attempt to keep his hands from me as he pressed his jacket to the wound.

" No," I rasped.

" Your apartment," Josef said, then moved off to make a call.

The other two guys quickly pulled off their jackets, letting Mick use them to tie his jacket around my abdomen. Picking me up, he quickly got me settled in his arms, then everything started to blur. I must've blacked out for a while, because when I became aware of things again, I found myself being laid on the floor of someone's bathroom.

Panicking, I tried to struggle, but that lasted all of five seconds, and weakened me even more, leaving me unable to move anything but my eyes as Guillermo suddenly appeared and knelt on my other side. Seeing that he was about to hook an IV to my arm, I tried to muster enough strength to shove him away, but my body wouldn't cooperate, and I flinched as he inserted the IV into my left hand.

" The wound needs to be cauterized now," Guillermo said. " She's lost three quarts of blood already."

Mick vanished, reappearing about two minutes later with two red-hot-bladed knives. My eyes grew wide, and a surge of adrenaline shot through me as I tried to get up to get away, but Josef easily held me down. Mick shoved a bath towel into my mouth before taking a deep breath and pressing one of the knives against my stomach. I screamed in unholy pain as the heat began searing my flesh, a second scream erupting from me when – after Josef had managed to turn me sideways – Guillermo pressed the side of the second knife against the exit wound on my back.

I couldn't help screaming several more times, then I again went completely limp, my energy flat lining at zero. Mick and Guillermo kept the knives pressed to my skin for about another two minutes, then Guillermo got up and tossed them in the sink as Mick began rifling through the bag Guillermo had brought along.

" Her heart beat is far too erratic," he said as Guillermo knelt back down beside me. " Guillermo, help hold her down. I need to stitch the wound closed."

Guillermo grabbed my legs to hold me still, and after threading one of those freaky-looking surgical needles, Mick began stitching the wound closed from the back. The skin was so raw and sensitive, my body was so weak, and I was so exhausted, that I finally, thankfully, passed out, slipping into the dark arms of unconsciousness.

_L.A.; Tuesday, __November 9, 2010__; 8:00 a.m. _

Whispered voices broke through the fog surrounding my mind.

" I don't give a rat's ass what you say, St. John, if you don't put me on the phone with her right this second, I'll have a team of lawyers and cops at your office within half an hour," I faintly heard Morgan say. Even though it was only faintly, I could only hear her because she was shouting.

" She isn't in any condition to talk," I heard Mick reply, just as there was a knock on the door. " Josef can let you know later." I heard him hang up, then heard him open a door. " Beth," he said, sounding surprised. " What are you doing here?"

" Talbot found out about – what you and Josef are. He knows about the attack last night, and he'll be here in an hour to talk with you," a woman was saying.

I hissed as I tried to move, and the muscles in my abdomen protested painfully.

" What was that?" I heard the woman ask.


	6. Chapter 6

WARNING: Some sexual tension-slash-kinkiness involved in this chapter/ep. Some violence as well. R&R always appreciated.

_**Episode Six**_

" Now's not a really great time to talk," Mick said. Footsteps approached the couch I was on, and when I rubbed my eyes and blinked them open and looked up, I saw a blonde woman standing there. A door shut, and then Mick was standing right beside her.

Fear clogged my throat, and I pulled my blanket up over my head.

" Who's she?" the blond asked Mick.

" Josef's head of security for almost a month. She was in the office last night when the three hitmen showed up. She knocked one down, but got shot and lost three quarts of blood before we got her back here and stitched her up," Mick replied. Then, to me " Panther?"

" Go away," I told him.

" She knows about us," I heard Mick tell the blond.

" How?" the blond wanted to know.

" Josef," Mick replied.

Hearing someone knock on the door again, I tried to sit up, crying out when my abdominal muscles painfully protested the movement. Seconds later, and the cover was yanked off my head. Glancing up, I found Josef standing there. Scared of him too, I felt adrenaline surge through me, and I tried to shove myself off the couch, winding up falling straight into his arms.

The feeling of him touching me made me feel like the walls were closing in, and I started struggling against him, ignoring the way my body protested this as I tried to get him to let me go.

" You need to calm down," Mick told me as Josef sat down on the couch with me in his lap. Unable to even look at Mick – or his friend – I twisted and buried my face against Josef's chest, my arm helping to shield my face from view.

" She's scared to death, Mick," the blond told him. " Maybe you should let me talk with her. Alone."

" No," I said. " Need – to get back – to my hotel. Morgan – doesn't joke around," I said, just as there was yet another knock on the door, which caused me to flinch again.

" Mick St. John, if you don't open this door right now, I'll call some of my friends and have them take it off its hinges," I heard Morgan shout. My body flinched again, but I clamped my jaws shut to keep from crying out at the pain.

The door opened, then I heard someone come in.

" Where is she?" I heard Morgan ask, then she was standing beside the couch. Lowering my arm and glancing up, I saw that her gaze was dark and murderous.

" Let go of her," she told Josef.

" Ms. Pomari, always a pleasure," Josef observed.

" I'm not here to joke around, Kostan. And I wasn't kidding, either. Let her go now, or both you and Mick will have cops beating down your doors within the hour," she warned. I could feel Josef tense; Morgan didn't see it.

" I don't respond well to idle threats," Josef warned her.

" I don't make idle threats, I make promises," she retorted. He started to set me aside, but before he could get up, I weakly grabbed his arm.

" Hurt her and I'm gone," I told him. " Then you'll have to deal with the cops and lawyers anyway."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the emotions of confusion – and many others – running across the blonde's face.

" Mick, take Ms. Pomari and give Ms. Panther and I some time alone," Josef told Mick.

" I'm not going anywhere, Kostan," Morgan warned him.

" Please, I whispered. " I don't want trouble."

Morgan's face immediately softened, and she leaned down, giving me as fierce a hug as I could tolerate; it still made my abdominal muscles pull, though I refused to flinch.

" You even think he plans to hurt you, call or text. Even his vampire connections wouldn't keep me from coming to your rescue," she told me, then quickly left, Mick and Beth right on her heels.

The second they were gone, I leaned back against the back of the couch, trying to get my tense muscles to relax. My eyes snapped back open when Josef gently touched my shoulder, and I couldn't help but flinch, looking immediately away from him. When I did, he grabbed my chin, forcing me to bring my gaze back to his face.

And when he drew me to him and kissed me, I couldn't stop myself from responding, my body molding itself to him. His arms came to surround my back, one hand moving up to cup the back of my head, and my hands came up to grip his shoulders. The kiss deepened, but I didn't care, the pain the last thing on my mind as Josef leaned me over backwards, his body now blanketing mine.

Suddenly, I found myself sitting up with my back against him, one of his arms across my chest. He suddenly pressed his wrist to my lips, and when I realized there was blood on his wrist, I tried to move away, but his arm tightened around me.

" Feed," he whispered, then sank his fangs into my neck. Stunned at his actions, I grabbed his wrist, trying to shove down my revulsion as I began drinking. The more he drank, the more I was forced to drink, until he suddenly stopped, sealing the mark on my neck with a swipe of his tongue, even as he pulled his wrist away from my mouth.

Strange sensations were swimming through my body, the revulsion not the strongest of them.

" What did you do to me?" I asked Josef, his arm still around my chest.

" My blood will help you heal faster," he said, and I felt strength flooding through me.

" Why?" I asked him.

" You did your job in trying to protect me. Now, I have to help you get better so you can get back to it," he told me, his arm tightening again. I didn't understand why he was holding me so tightly, until my body started to feel like it was burning up from the inside out. Shocked, I tried to get away, but he swung me up into his arms and the next thing I knew, he was setting me down on the floor of a shower. Without bothering to ask me if it was okay, he stripped me of my clothes and undies, then shoved me into the shower and turned the water on ice cold.

I started to shiver and convulse immediately, but he shut the shower door, standing there with his back to me as the cold water actually caused steam to rise up off my skin. Feeling abandoned, I could do nothing as the fire burned through my blood for a solid fifteen minutes. When I felt as if it was gone, I slowly climbed to my feet, turning the shower off and wringing my hair out.

Ignoring Josef, my face red with shame, embarrassment, and a strange feeling of betrayal, I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my hair, using a second one to wrap around my body as I leaned against the wall, my mind in turmoil. Feeling a presence leaning over me a few seconds later, I opened my eyes to find it was Josef.

" Why don't you leave, Kostan? You already saved the damsel in distress, and you've seen me naked multiple times. I'd have thought you'd had your fill by now," I callously said.

" I've fired employees for less," he said.

" Go ahead. It would give me a reason to leave the city, and then you'd have to find someone else to protect you," I retorted, then moved past him to search for a hair dryer. He moved so fast that one second, I was reaching for the cabinet beneath the sink, the next, I was being pinned to the wall.

" Whether or not you remain as my head of security, I'm not letting you leave the city," Josef told me.

I glared at him now. " You ain't stoppin' me, Kostan," I retorted, then tried to move past him. He wouldn't budge, so I hauled off and slapped him, the sound echoing in the room. His head jerked slightly, and when he was facing me again, his eyes were icy blue. He snarled at me, baring his fangs, but I wasn't afraid, just really, really ticked off. Snarling right back, I managed to get free, and managed to make it almost back to the shower before Josef grabbed me from behind.

I swore and started struggling, ignoring the pain blossoming anew in my abdomen as I tried to get free of Josef's grip. When I opened my mouth to scream, he placed his hand over my mouth, his icy blue eyes glaring at me. Glaring right back, I bit down hard enough to draw a few drops of blood, which made him hiss. The look on his face turned to one of hunger, and then he was kissing me again, his hands roughly roving over my body as I became pinned between him and the wall yet again.

Having gotten what I'd secretly wanted, I gave in to the feelings swamping me, uncaring how rough his hands were on my body, uncaring of the pain in my side, uncaring that when he rained kisses down across my jawline and to my throat, his fangs kept lightly nipping me, drawing maybe a drop or two of blood at the time.

" Josef," Mick suddenly said, and when I opened my eyes, I saw Mick standing in the open bathroom doorway, the blond – Beth, I remembered him calling her – right behind him. And Morgan was right behind them both. Embarrassing? Yes. Did I care? Not overly much.

Morgan looked a little pale-faced, then she tried to find something else to focus her gaze on besides how Josef was pressed up against me against the wall, his hands still anchored on my waist, my hands on his shoulders, and me in nothing but a towel.

" We need to talk," Mick told Josef, keeping his eyes averted from us.

" Go ahead and talk with him," I told Josef, managing to slip out of his grip. Grabbing the clothes I'd had on – they weren't the clothes I'd been shot in – I slipped around behind the shower, slipping out of the towel around my torso and beginning to slip my clothes on.

_L.A.; Tuesday, __November 9, 2010__; 10:00 a.m. _

I was feeling really bored as I waited in the bedroom in Mick's loft. Downstairs in the living room, Mick and Beth were talking with the ADA, Talbot, Morgan had already left, and since Josef wanted to be sure Mick didn't get hurt in any way, he was downstairs as well. I, however, had been told to stay up here, because Josef didn't want the ADA's office to know anything about me, or that I'd helped take down the crooks.

Finally fed up with waiting, however, I decided to do what I wanted, and opened the bedroom door, casually strolling down the steps, stopping near the bottom.

" You people ain't done talkin' yet?" I asked them, one hand on the railing, the other on my hip. The stranger's head turned towards me, and the look on Mick and Josef's face made me want to laugh; I settled for a small, smirking smile.

" Who are you?" Talbot asked me.

" Kostan's head of security," I told him as I moved forward, idly and unceremoniously plopping down between him and Beth on the couch.

" I thought you hired a man named Panther," Talbot said, glancing over the notes he wrote, and I threw Josef a smirk, childishly crossing my eyes before turning my attention back to Talbot.

" Nah, I'm Panther. Been working for him since October eighteenth," I casually said, refusing to let the pain of my twinging side show in my face.

" Since when does a hedge-fund trader hire women for security?" Talbot asked.

" I'm not afraid to face down bullies and men with weapons. Why not?" I countered.

" Ms. Panther, can I talk with you upstairs, please?" Josef asked.

" What, afraid I'll tell him I was attacked my first day by a man wielding a porcelain knife, and that I got cut? Oh, I bet you're afraid I'll tell him I was shot last night at your office while trying to protect you, Mick, and two of your friends, and that about an hour ago, you bit me and fed me some of your blood," I casually said.

The look on his face was a dark and thunderous one, but it quickly went away as he pulled a blank mask down over his face.

" You were shot and – exchanged – blood with him?" Talbot asked, his face having paled at the thought.

" Yeah," I said with a shrug. " Wanna see the wound?"

" I think you need to leave," Mick suddenly told Talbot.

" Oh, chill out," I told him.

" Where?" Talbot asked me, so I pulled up the edge of my blouse to let him see.

" Looks just as bad on the back," I assured him when he tried to hide the shock at seeing the stitches on my abdomen. A low growl came from Josef, and I shot him a look as I lowered my blouse.

" Calm down, Fang-Man. Yeesh, you're acting like you're territorial or something," I said with a snort. The look on Mick's face looked like a cross between amusement, anger, and shock, but Josef's face remained blank, though his eyes promise retribution.

" Have you made a statement to police about your involvement?" Talbot asked me.

" Nope," I immediately replied. " And I have no intention to, either. Only told you, 'cause I heard Beth say you know what those two are."

" Upstairs. Now," Josef said, but I ignored him.

" Y'know, I think I'm in the mood for a swim," I said, then grabbed my phone off the table behind the couch – after jumping up off the couch to go around and get it.

" Yo, Morgan, you near here?" I asked her, then nodded. " Great. Pick me up in two. I'll be waiting downstairs." Clicking my phone closed, I casually tucked it into my bra, then grabbed all my weapons off the table. " Gentlemen, Beth, see ya," I told the others, then darted out of the loft as fast as I could run.

_L.A.; Tuesday, __November 9, 2010__; 1:00 p.m. _

I grinned at Morgan as I sipped my pina colada.

" Panther, you are completely crazy," Morgan told me as she, I, and the rest of our little group relaxed by the pool. I'd had Morgan bring me straight back to the hotel, and after relaxing for about an hour, I'd grabbed something to eat, then changed into my suit, waiting the customary half hour before even bothering to come out here.

I snorted, then swallowed a full mouthful of the pina colada, loving the buzz it gave me.

" I thought you figured that out the first day you met me," I told her, ignoring the way people kept casting me strange glances. They only kept glancing at me because I was in one of the bikinis I'd borrowed from Morgan – I didn't own a bikini – and the stitches and wound on my abdomen were clearly visible.

" You talking to Kostan like that – I'm not so sure we shouldn't be on a plane right now, headed for Hawaii or Alaska or something," Morgan said.


	7. Chapter 7

WARNING: Some sexual tension-slash-kinkiness involved in this chapter/ep. Some violence as well. R&R always appreciated.

_**Episode Seven**_

" Yeah, I mean, with what Morgan told us about him and his – friends, I'm surprised he hasn't fired you, or worse," Carmen said, her gaze straying to the beach choker around my throat. I was crazy, not stupid; the stitches were easy to explain. Bite marks? Not so much.

I rolled my eyes, then pulled off my glasses and hat, laying them on my lounge chair as I got up.

" If you five want me, I'll be in the water," I told them, striding around to the diving board.

" She wouldn't," I heard Kyrah whisper. Smirking, I stepped up onto the diving board.

" She would," I heard Chase say as I jumped into the air, my body coming down in a cannonball way, splashing water everywhere. This caused the muscles in my abdomen to pull and twist, but when they quit as I surfaced, I grinned.

" C'mon, chicas, the water's great!" I called out to them. Shaking their heads and laughing amongst themselves, they quickly joined me in the water. Grabbing a pool float from beside the pool, I hopped on, enjoying the relaxing motion of the water gently rocking me.

_L.A.; Tuesday, __November 9, 2010__; 10:00 p.m. _

I let out a cheer as I raked in the final jackpot of the night, causing the other to groan.

" Dang, _chica_ did it _again_!" Kyrah said.

" You have got to be a card counter," Lizana said.

" Ain't neither. I'm just lucky," I told her, smiling as I began separating my winnings into piles of coins, ones, fives, and tens, and Carmen and Chase began putting away the card and chips.

There was a knock on the door then, so Morgan got up to answer it. The look on her face when she turned around was an uneasy one.

" Um, I think we all need to barricade ourselves in here tonight," she said.

A look of understanding crossed my face, and I rolled my eyes.

" You want in, Kostan, you'll have to pick the lock!" I called out, knowing full he could hear me, even with the soundproof padding in the walls and doors.

" You're trying to get him mad, aren't you," Lizana said, and I gave her a flat look.

" She likes him mad," Chase said, and I refused to comment.

" Just like she hinted at when she posted that thing on the website before Halloween," Kyrah put in. My only response was a small smile, then my face was blank again as I stared at the door. Morgan actually retreated, stuffing her winnings into her purse, then sitting back down with us.

The lock wasn't an easy one to pick – it was one of those card locks. Unfortunately, Josef apparently had a lot of connections, because the door opened two minutes later. His face showed no emotion as he took in the scene, the six of us still in our bikinis, though with shorts on.

" Leave," he told the others.

" Don't think about ordering my friends around, Kostan," I retorted, getting to my feet, which just prompted the others to get up as well, though they edged away from me, because the tension in the room was bad enough that anyone could've sensed it.

" Out," he told them, and Kyrah, Lizana, Chase, and Carmen gave me sympathetic looks before scurrying out. Morgan stayed behind long enough to give Josef a warning look, then she left, closing the door behind her. Even as the door was clicking closed, Josef's face transformed.

" I told you I didn't want you talking to Talbot," he said.

" Too bad, Fang-Man," I retorted. " I'm my own woman. I do what I want, when I want. Off-duty, I don't take orders from anyone."

Turning my back on him, I grabbed my winnings off the bed and put them in the little cash box sitting on the nightstand, then locked that in the dresser. Before I could even turn around, I was grabbed and pinned against the dresser, Josef leaning slightly over me, one hand fisted in my still-damp hair, the other arm holding me tight against his chest.

" I've killed people for less than this," he told me.

I rolled my eyes. " Blah, blah, blah," I retorted. " I think you're all talk, Kostan. Why don't you just admit you can't stop me from doing what I want, and then we can get on with our lives. You can get back to biting other woman again, and I can get back to having fun with my friends."

The snarl that came from him then made something primal inside me sing, but I didn't let it show.

" You want me to be rough, fine," he said. I yelped as I was suddenly tossed through the air, landing so hard on the bed that I bounced. By the time the bed and I quit bouncing, Josef was already leaning over me, having shucked his shoes, shirt, and jacket. Ruthlessly, he ripped my shorts from me, the bikini top and bottom as well, and then his fangs were in my throat. My body actually rejoiced in the rough treatment, and I didn't complain once during the next several hours that we spent in that bed.

_L.A.; Wednesday, __November 10, 2010__; 11:00 a.m. _

I hummed happily as I relaxed back in my chair, casually watching the three big screens in my office. When I'd woken up at eight, Josef hadn't been there – I knew he couldn't sleep safely in a regular bed – but what he'd done for me last night had more than made up for his absence this morning.

My musings were interrupted when Talbot suddenly appeared on the first screen, at the view I had of the check-in area.

" Crap," I muttered, just before the intercom buzzed.

" Panther, you've got a visitor," Jonas told me. He'd healed almost as fast I was healing, and I always took time out of my lunch breaks to go over security protocols and such with him, as well as having sneaked a few quick games of Black Jack when our breaks coincided together.

" Ugh," I groaned, though he couldn't hear me. " Fine, send him on back."

" Will do, Boss," Jonas replied, and a few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Standing up and straightening my blouse, I opened the door, then let Talbot in.

" What do you want, Talbot?" I asked him as I closed the door, then went over to the console and cut the camera coverage for my office.

" I want to talk to you about yesterday," he said, and I cursed under my breath.

" Look, I did what I did to tick off Kostan, okay?" I told him, readjusting the way my taser rod was hanging on my hip. " I didn't really want to talk to you, but making him mad is – entertaining for me."

" You're talking to me now, and he made it clear he didn't want you to, after you left," Talbot pointed out. That brought a small smile to my face.

" Well, never let it be said that I don't like getting entertained," I said, then sat down, motioning for him to sit down as well. " Whatcha wanna know?"

" What led you to – accepting Mr. Kostan's invitation to – work for him, and – feed him?" he asked me.

I chuckled at his nervousness. " First off, dude, around me, you gotta learn to be frank. I don't like people beating around the bush when they're trying to say or ask something," I told him. " And call me Panther. None of the rest of the security team – heck, no one that works here – even bothers to use the 'Ms.' any more."

Talbot arched an eyebrow at that.

" Okay," he agreed. " How did it feel to have a vampire bite you, and why would you willingly drink his blood?"

" The feeling of Kostan biting me is – and I'm going to be quite frank, like I asked you to be – erotic. He's bitten me more places than just on my neck, two of them which I can't show to any other guy," I told him, noting how his gaze briefly strayed to my blouse, then back up to my face. " Correct. As for drinking his blood, he made me, said it would help heal me faster. It was disgusting, but – well, it really did work."

" May I see?" he asked. Shrugging, I pulled up the edge of my blouse, baring the wound to his view. Turning slightly, I let him see the exit wound on my back, then slowly lowered my blouse.

" What does it feel like to get shot?" Talbot asked, and I shuddered.

" Trust me, Talbot, that is something you do not want to know," I assured him.

" Okay, I'll leave that question alone," he said. " Has Mr. Kostan made any sexual advances toward you?" At the look on my face, he decided to rephrase the question. " Has he tried to do anything to you that you didn't want him to?"

" You're asking this why?" I wanted to know.

" He's a vampire, Panther," Talbot said. " I want to make sure he's not abusive."

" Kostan is in no way abusive, Talbot, of that you can be sure," I told him.

" What about the light bruising near your wound?" he asked.

" That was done without any complaint from me. If you want me to go into details, I won't hesitate," I added with a pointed look.

" I dare you," he suddenly said.

" What is this, fifth grade?" I asked. When he gave me a look, I smirked back at him. " Fine. He gave me that bruise yesterday, during a hot and – "

I didn't get to finish the sentence, because Josef was suddenly there, his appearance causing me and Talbot to jump in surprise.

" Geez, Kostan, give a gal a warning," I said as I got to my feet. He reached out and put a possessive arm around my waist, his grip painful enough to make it pleasurable.

" Out," he told Talbot.

" Hey, I was talking with him," I piped up, refusing to wince when Josef's arm tightened around my waist.

" Now," Josef demanded. When Talbot hesitated, then his eyes widened, I knew Josef had vamped out.

" I'll be in touch," Talbot said, then hastily beat a retreat. Just as the door clicked closed, I blinked, and by the time my eyes had opened again, I found myself sitting on the sink in the bathroom, Josef's face glaring down at me.

" How many times do I have to tell you not to talk to him?" he asked me.

I smirked up at him. " 'Til you're blue in the face," I retorted. " I talk with who I want."

With a growl, Josef grabbed me, straight through my blouse, causing me to clamp my jaws shut as he put more and more pressure on me, until I finally hissed, my eyes closing as I arched my back.

I suddenly found myself being scooped up in Josef's arms, and just when I would've opened my eyes, a blindfold was put across them. I tried to get free of Josef, but he held me captive in his arms. Wondering where he was taking me, I decided to remain still, and a good while later, the limo – could tell by the smell of it – pulled to a stop. Josef was out almost instantly, me still clutched in his arms, and the feeling of him running came over me.

He stopped for a few seconds, then I heard a door open and shut. I was tossed through the air, and by the time I removed the blindfold, Josef was already on the bed with me, his icy blue eyes boring into my face. A quick glance around revealed I wasn't in my hotel room, but in a posh-looking bedroom.

My gaze was brought back to Josef when he unceremoniously yanked all my weapons off and threw them aside, my badge as well. When he ripped my blouse, skirt, and boots and socks off, I glared at him.

" That was one of my favorite skirts!" I told him, shoving – ineffectually against his chest.

" You will pay for your disobedience," he warned me, then ripped away my bra and undies. I yelped and started to struggle, shoving futilely against his chest, his arms, and shoulders, but it was like trying to move a brick wall – utterly, completely useless.

" Get off me!" I exclaimed, hissing when his hands came out to grip my waist and my hair. My scrunchie was yanked off and tossed aside, allowing my hair to flow free. I was glaring daggers up at him. " Get off me right now, Kostan, or I swear, you'll regret this."

His response was to fist his hand in my hair and pull my head to the side. I started to tell him he'd better not do it, but he sank his fangs into my throat, the bite vicious, but totally erotic. My body arched up against his as he fed but a little before stopping, the anger in his gaze warring with hunger and lust as he drew back.

_L.A.; Wednesday, __November 10, 2010__; 3:00 p.m. _

I was feeling a little light-headed nearly three hours later as I finished slipping a pair of white elbow-length fingerless gloves on. The skirt and blouse I had on would cover the bites on my breasts and my inner thighs, but I had to wear the fingerless gloves and the choker to hide the bites on my neck and arms.

When I went to get up, my head started to swim, so I changed direction and scooted further onto the bed, leaning back against the headboard. Josef had brought me back to my hotel so I could change, and was at the moment out in the hallway talking with the hotel owner and his limo driver, but I ignored that as I closed my eyes and allowed my body to finally relax. Seconds later, and Josef was sitting beside me, shaking my shoulder.

" What do you want now?" I asked.

" You're moving," he said. That got my attention; my eyes flew open, and I sat up despite the dizziness.

" No I'm not," I told him.

" The driver is waiting downstairs. I had an apartment readied for you in the office building, the top floor loft. Your office will be moved up there," he went on, as if I hadn't spoken.

" I. Am. Not. Moving," I slowly said, trying to get it through his head. " My friends are staying here, so I'm not goin' anywhere."


	8. Chapter 8

WARNING: Some sexual tension-slash-kinkiness involved in this chapter/ep. Some violence as well. R&R always appreciated.

_**Episode Eight**_

" You don't have a choice," he said, then began zipping around the room, hurriedly packing my clothes and things into my suitcases. I was so stunned that I couldn't react until he had already zipped out into the hallway with everything, my purse included.

Getting to my feet, I shakily made my way to the door, and was about to move out into the hallway, when Morgan suddenly appeared, rushing over to me to help keep me upright.

" What happened to you?" she asked, and in just a few short sentences, I whispered it into her ear. Her shock showed clearly on her face. " Oh, Panther," she said, her arm around my waist helping to keep me from falling over. " That rat. He took too much this time. Come on, let me help you to my room. We can call Talbot and have guards put on you. This is not good for your health."

" I think I'm capable of handling her, Ms. Pomari," Josef said as he reappeared.

Morgan shot him such a scathing glare that it's a good thing she was holding on to me, or she likely would've leapt at him.

" I never should've told you about Panther," Morgan said, taking a step back and not letting go of me when Josef took a step forward. " Step off, Kostan."

" She's coming with me," Josef said.

" No, she's not," Morgan insisted.

" Mick," Josef suddenly said, and Morgan's arms were suddenly jerked behind her back, which made her let go of me. Josef quickly zipped forward and grabbed me, scooping me up in his arms.

" Get your hands off me!" Morgan shouted, struggling against Mick.

" Please take her to her room and – explain," Josef told Mick, then turned and calmly walked away from Mick and Morgan, ignoring the way Morgan turned the air blue with her words. I was so light-headed that I stayed silent all the way down to the limo, and even after Josef got me inside. Not one word was said between us during the ride, either, nor all the way to the building.

Jonas gave us a weird look as Josef carried me past him, as did Sam, who was carrying a load of computer stuff towards the elevators, but neither said anything as Josef stepped onto the elevator and carried me up to the top floor, just above where his office was. I was laid down on a bed, then Josef directed Sam where to put my suitcases when he appeared with them. Shooting me a wondering, worried look, Sam then left again, closing the door behind himself, and leaving me alone with Josef.

" I want out, Kostan," I said, forcing myself to sit up despite how light-headed I was. " I don't want to work for you any more. Not – if you're going to mistreat my friends."

" I don't like people interfering in my business," he said, unapologetically. My vision suddenly began to dim, and I started to slump sideways, but Josef was suddenly there, turning me so that he could pull me against his chest. Something wet was pressed to my mouth, and in my confused state, I couldn't refuse it. Grabbing Josef's arm, I began to drink, gulping down at least a pint of his blood before the light-headedness went away, and strength began to flood me.

Wiping my mouth with a handkerchief, Josef tucked it back into his pocket, then got up off the bed.

" You can find your own way around. I have business to attend to," he told me, then promptly left. Feeling slightly scorned, I went over to my suitcases and began to unpack, feeling uneasy being alone in a strange place.

_L.A.; Thursday, __November 11, 2010__; 10:00 a.m. _

" This where you want the monitors?" Sam asked as he readjusted one of the monitors to sit straight on the table in my new office, which was adjacent to my loft. I absently nodded.

" Just – set them up how you want," I muttered, then went into the loft to grab myself something to drink. The glass was halfway to my lips before my walkie talkie staticed. Cursing, I unclipped it from the belt around my waist.

" This had better be important, Jonas," I told him; he knew that today was an off day for me, and that he was only supposed to bug me in an emergency.

" ADA Talbot, Beth Turner, and a model named Morgan Pomari are on their way up to see you," he said, and I cursed, knowing he heard me because I'd accidentally pressed the button to talk before I'd meant to.

" You're lucky Josef's out right now, because he'd have your job for this. And thanks for warning me," I told him, making my voice sound nicer, because it wasn't his fault they were ignoring Josef's warnings and were coming to see me. Sam had apparently heard the message, because he appeared.

" Want me to meet them at the elevators and bar them from coming onto the floor?" he asked, and I knew he'd do it if I asked him to, not just because I was his boss, but because he'd become a good friend to me; well, that, and he also knew about vamps.

" No," I sighed. " God, Morgan can be so stubborn!"

Sam grinned at that; he was a big fan of her work, as he'd told both me and her before. Before he could comment, there was a knock on the loft door.

" Panther, open up. We know Kostan ain't here," Morgan said, and with a look at Sam – who decided to go back to the office – I went and unlocked and opened the loft door. Morgan, Talbot, and Beth immediately came in, Beth looking the most uncomfortable.

" Josef won't be happy with you for this, Morgan," I told Morgan as I shut the door back. " He made it clear to me yesterday, too, that you're not welcome here, Talbot. Coming here to see me could get you and Beth in trouble, and it could probably jeopardize my job."

" Ms. Pomari claims that yesterday afternoon, Mr. St. John forced her into her hotel room. When I arrived, she was there, and I saw St. John disappearing around the corner down the hall. She claims she was kept there because Mr. Kostan bit you and fed from you ten times within just a few short hours, and took too much blood. Is this true?" Talbot asked.

My eyes widened, and I shot Morgan a look. " Morgan Pomari, you _told_ him what _happened_?" I asked, and her look turned guilty. " I can't _believe_ you'd give out personal details of my life like that!"

" I'm concerned about you, Panther," Morgan told me. " You're moving far too fast when it comes to vampires."

" Really? And how would you know?" I asked sarcastically.

She sighed, raking her hand through her hair. " Because the entire Eternal beauty product line was founded by vampires, and every last upper-level boss is a vampire, as are their families. And I've known about vampires since I was fifteen and saved one of the bosses when I was in New York. It's what launched my career."

I was stunned – she'd never told me that before.

" Lemme get this straight," I began, trying to keep myself from letting my temper explode. " You've known for the past eleven years of our friendship that vampires – which I've been obsessed with since seventh grade – were real, and you never even told me?"

" I couldn't amiga. I was sworn to secrecy as part of my job. I could've gotten in trouble, and gotten fired, or worse, if I'd told even you and the rest of our group," she said.

My hands were balled into tight fists at my sides as I struggled to rein in my temper.

" You still should've told," I told her. Then I realized something. " Wait, you're the one that told Josef about me before Halloween, about what I posted on that site. How'd you know what he was?"

She looked extremely nervous about that. " I – he sponsored a photo shoot I was at two years ago, and I bet a pint of my blood in a game that he was playing with his friends that I could beat him. I beat him, but lost to his friend, and had to let him feed from me," she said.

" The friend?" I prompted.

" Guillermo," she said, and I bit out a string of curses at that. " Amiga, I'm really, really sorry."

" You knew I was heading straight for the proverbial lion's den," I snarled, my temper rapidly slipping away from me. " You knew that vamps were real, and that my naïve fantasies about vamps could very well become reality, and you said _nothing_."

" Amiga, I'm sorry," she apologized.

" Sorry? This could ruin my _life_!" I exclaimed, then shot Talbot a look when he went to step forward. " Don't even think about chiming in on this," I warned him, then grabbed my walkie talkie from my belt. " Sam, get in here right now," I told him, and a minute later, he was.

" These two," I said, pointing at Talbot and Beth, " are to be barred from this floor. They are never to be allowed in this building to talk to me again, and if they are caught near me again, the people that let them near me will be fired on the spot."

" What about her?" Sam asked me, nodding at Morgan.

" Morgan, you need to leave," Guillermo said as he suddenly appeared, Mick and Josef right with him. I glared at all three.

" Everyone, get the hell out of here, right now," I demanded. " And that includes you, Kostan."

Josef seemed amused by my choice of words, but Beth looked like she was about to choke.

" Panther, please," Morgan began, but I gave her a dead look.

" I'll talk with you tomorrow, or Saturday, but you need to leave before this gets ugly," I warned her.

" Your heartbeat is irregular. You need to calm down," Mick told me.

Snarling, I whirled around and headed into the kitchen, straight for the block with the knives. Grabbing them all at one time, I waited for the first person to come through the doorway, and since it happened to be Mick, I started to fling the knives. He avoided all but one, which sank into his shoulder. He immediately vamped out as he yanked the knife out, tossing the knife aside, and even as I was reaching for my taser rod, he made a dive for me.

Ducking, I grabbed a pan off the stove as I ducked, and when he came around the corner, I whacked him in the shins, causing him to hiss and jump back. Someone grabbed me from behind, and I started to swing backwards with the pan, but it was plucked from my hand by Mick, and then I was hauled up off the floor.

" Let me go!" I screamed, kicking and flailing my legs as I struggled to get free of Josef.

" Everyone, get out," he ordered. Sam immediately grabbed Beth and Talbot's arms and tugged them out – they'd come into the kitchen to see what'd happened – but Morgan didn't budge. Guillermo then decided to grab her, and she started cursing – though she cursed in Spanish – as she was literally hauled out of the loft.

" Josef," Mick started to say.

" Go," Josef told him, readjusting his grip when I nearly got one of my arms free.

Giving me one last look, Mick reluctantly left. Ignoring the knives, all over the floor, Josef hauled me out of the kitchen and into the bedroom. Roughly laying me down on the bed, he straddled my waist and held my wrists pinned above my head. I glared daggers up at him, not even flinching when he vamped out and snarled at me.

" Get off me, you blood-sucking leech," I spat at him, trying to free my arms.

" I don't care for the way you're acting," he told me.

" I don't give a rat's ass," I spat back, refusing to give up my struggling.

" Stabbing Mick wasn't a wise idea," he told me.

" I was hoping it was gonna be you when I started flinging those knives," I snarled back, glaring at him. " Kill me or turn me, Kostan, 'cause once I'm free, I don't know whether I'll be able to leave the city without driving a stake straight through your black heart."

His grip tightened painfully on my wrists then, and I hissed, unflinching when he leaned down close to me and snarled right in my face.

Then his fangs were savagely tearing into my throat, and I cried out, because the pain was not pleasurable, and I struggled even harder, my struggles rapidly beginning to cease as my body was drained of its blood. Maybe two minutes later, Josef drew back, and when I looked up at him through my dimming vision, I could've sworn I saw a moment of sadness cross his face.

I closed my eyes then, actually feeling my heart laboring to get blood to my body, blood which I no longer had enough of. Josef cursed, and then something wet was pressed against my lips. I turned my head away, barely managing to do so. Josef cursed again, then drew me up and back against his chest.

" Drink," he ordered me, pressing his bleeding wrist back against my lips. I opened my mouth to try telling him where to go, but when the first few drops of blood touched my tongue, my body recognized the source of life I was being given. Unlike the other two times, though, he didn't pull back after I'd taken a pint; he instead let me keep on drinking, until I felt as if my body was about to burst.

I suddenly slumped back against him, all control of my body gone now. " I'm sorry," I dimly heard him whisper. The last thing I felt before I passed out was the feeling of him gently brushing a few stray strands of hair behind my ear.

_L.A.; Thursday, __November 11, 2010__; 3:00 p.m. _

The sound of something breaking broke through the fog surrounding my brain.

" You low-down, yellow-bellied, worthless piece of crap!" I heard Morgan scream from somewhere down below, causing me to sit bolt upright, my eyes flying open. As they did, I realized two things – my senses had expanded far more than should've been possible, and a burning hunger was assaulting my body.

" You need to calm down," I heard Guillermo tell her.


	9. Chapter 9

WARNING: Some sexual tension-slash-kinkiness involved in this chapter/ep. Some violence as well. R&R always appreciated.

_**Episode Nine**_

" Calm down?" she yelled, then spit out a string of Spanish curses. " He killed one of my best friends!"

" He didn't kill her, he tried to turn her," Guillermo tried to tell her.

" That's no excuse!" Morgan shouted back.

" Shit!" I heard someone exclaim, and when I turned towards the door, I saw Sam standing there, his face pale. He fumbled for the walkie talkie hooked to his belt, even as I got to my feet. " She's awake!" he shouted into it. Sensing someone funny-smelling heading straight for the stairs, I snarled at Sam, shoving him out of the way as I bolted out of the loft, and up onto the roof.

The sun was partially covered by clouds, but the few rays that made it through the clouds made me hiss and look for a place to take cover. Strange scents began assaulting my nostrils then, and when I turned, I saw Mick, Josef, and Guillermo bursting out of the roof access door.

They stopped short when they saw me standing at the roof's edge.

" Panther, you need to come back inside with us," Mick told me, taking a slow step towards me.

My gaze moved to Josef, and I gave him an accusing look. " You – turned – me," I said, having a hard time saying the words.

He didn't say anything to that, and his silence gave my body time to realize that I felt a strange strength flowing through me. It also gave my body time to recognize the gnawing hunger flooding through me.

Seeing Mick about to make a move towards me, I instinctively turned and leapt, the scream that threatened getting swallowed up as I plummeted over twenty stories before landing on the ground. The landing was rough, and I wound up falling over, but I was up again within about five seconds.

Not taking time to dust myself off, I made a beeline for Morgan's car. Grabbing the spare key from where I knew she kept it, I quickly unlocked the car, hopped inside, revved it up, and sped away from Josef's building, hoping I could find a safe place to hide from everyone.

_L.A.; Thursday, __November 11, 2010__; 9:00 p.m. _

My body was crying out with pain as I sat at a bar not that far from Josef's office building. I'd ditched Morgan's car at the hotel, and had actually been running all over the city, trying to find some way to outrun the hunger. It wasn't working, because my skin had begun to get pale, I was feeling way too hot, and the hunger had become much worse. I had to keep averting my eyes from people, because every time I looked at someone, I would immediately stare at the veins in their body, and it was driving me mad.

The scent of something strange filled my nostrils all of a sudden – my fourth pina colada had been helping to block out some of the other smells – and the scent made me panic. Jumping to my feet, I bolted from the bar via the back exit, and got maybe half a mile before I was grabbed and my arms were twisted around behind my back. Everything blurred around me, and the next thing I knew, I was being released back in my bedroom at the loft in Josef's building.

Whirling, I stared fearfully at Mick, backing all the way against the wall, trying to calm down the fight or flight instincts bombarding my brain. He took a single step towards me, and I dove for the floor, cowering against the wall by the bed, my entire body trembling in sporadic bursts.

" Panther," Mick began as he started to step around the bed, but I ducked my head down against my knees, refusing to look up at him.

" Go away. Leave me alone," I muttered. Tensing as he approached and knelt beside me, when he laid a hand on my arm, I started to lash out at him, but he easily caught me and whirled me, pinning me against his chest. The fight went out of me in seconds, and I just sat there, trembling, my brain unable to comprehend the smells and things that were bombarding me.

The noise of a heartbeat – several heartbeats – broke through the fog, and when I realized that the noise was headed towards the loft door now, I started to move, but Mick held me fast, until Sam and Jonas appeared, another guard – who I didn't know the name of – with them. Right behind them was Josef, and his presence made me flinch.

" You need to feed," he told me as Mick got up and made me sit on the bed, sitting beside me to make sure I didn't bolt.

I shook my head. " No," I said, turning my head away from him and the three guards.

" You have to, or you'll die," Mick told me. " Your body is already near the breaking point."

I tried to shake my head again, but the scent of blood suddenly filled my nostrils, and my head whirled towards the three guards. Spotting the blood starting to ooze from a tiny cut on the guard's wrist, I couldn't move as he came forward. When he held his wrist out to me, I took it in my hands. Everything vanished for several minutes, and when I came back to myself, Jonas was stepping away from me.

Realizing that I had just drunk the blood of all three guards, I gagged, and was in the bathroom in five seconds, shutting and locking the door as my body trembled with fear and revulsion. Chancing a look in the mirror, I flinched, because my eyes were icy blue; a quick look in my mouth revealed that I had razor-sharp, pearly white fangs.

Someone knocked on the door, and I jumped so quickly that I wound up crashing into the shower, whacking my head on the opposite wall. The lock on the door broke then, and Josef came in. Flinching, I tried to scramble to my feet and yank the shower door closed, but Josef stopped me by zipping over and grabbing the door. He held a hand out to me, and I flinched again before letting him help me up and out of the shower.

I started to move past him, but he stopped me by not letting go of my arm.

" Let go of me, Josef," I muttered, feeling lower than I ever had. When he didn't comply, I jerked away form him, and, feeling him reaching for me again, I dodged his grip, whirled, feinted, and wound up pinning him to the wall, one arm against his throat, icy blue gaze boring into his dark one.

" You turned me, Kostan," I said. " I'm not going to kill you now, but if you don't let me walk out of here, I might not be able to stop myself."

He snarled as his face changed, and I turned and fled the bathroom, heading for the loft door. He got there before I did, and, feeling panic rise in me, I leapt at him, my fingers hooked like claws as I tried to slash his face. Even though I was more than ten times stronger now, he was even stronger than that, and about ten minutes into the fight – plus a broken lamp, a broken coffee table, three broken vases, and a broken mirror later – he pinned me to the bed.

My eyes were burning with anger as I glared up at him, just as his own eyes showed their anger. I was actually a little surprised when he kissed me, his mouth savagely bearing down on mine. I jerked free of his grip, but instead of trying to get free, I reached up to tangle my hands in his hair, my anger turning to lust and a different sort of hunger in mere seconds.

Josef's hands now were even more brutal as they roamed over my body, and as his pinches and caresses became firmer and more intimate, I found myself craving a different sort of intimacy. Jerking his head to the side, I sank my fangs into his throat, gulping down about three full mouthfuls of his blood before playfully licking the marking to clean away whatever blood might've spilled.

The emotions in his eyes when I drew away from his throat were so intense that they puzzled me.

" I want you. Now," he said, his voice husky. I knew I shouldn't, but after what I'd been through the past few days, I couldn't deny him. And since I wanted my first time to be special, I decided to make it unforgettable.

" Rough me up," I purred, and with a growl, he literally ripped my clothes off of me, doing the same with his clothes before his lips again claimed mine.

_L.A.; Friday, __November 12, 2010__; 9:00 a.m. _

My eyes slowly fluttered open, my confusion over my super-sensitive eyesight lasting all of five seconds, until I remembered what'd happened. I then realized two things – I was naked beneath the sheets, and the room was awfully cold. Well, not really cold, actually – at least, it didn't feel that way, but the thermostat on the wall showed it was only forty degrees. And the fact that I wasn't feeling it that much kind of bugged me, so I got out of bed, turning the thermostat down, then finding something to slip into.

Just as I was straightening my braid, there was a knock on the loft door. Instinctively, I inhaled, wincing when I realized it was Morgan and Guillermo.

Walking out to the loft door, I unlocked then opened it, stepping aside to let them in. Morgan wasted no time in throwing her arms around my neck when she came in, and I tentatively hugged her back, not sure of my strength yet. Releasing her, I shut the door back, then led the way over to the couch – the place was set up exactly like Mick's loft – plopping down on it and waiting for her and Guillermo to sit down.

" So, what brings you to the lair of the she-wolf?" I sarcastically asked Morgan.

" I wanted to – get your permission on something," she said, causing me to arch an eyebrow.

" Er, what?" I wanted to know.

" I want your permission to – " she started to say, stopping when I raised my hand. Inhaling again, I gave her a curious look.

" What are the others doing here?" I asked her, then zipped to the door, not realizing how fast I'd moved until I had the door open, and stared at the rest of our little group as they got off the elevator. The second they spotted me, they broke into a run, and when they reached me, they all grabbed hold of me, surrounding me with loving arms and squeezing me tight.

" Guys, I don't have to breathe, but I'm still new to this," I told them, and they immediately drew back, following me into the loft. Going back to the couch, I let them sit wherever they wanted.

" I know something's up, you guys," I said as Lizana finally got settled. " My nose is telling me something's way off. So spill."

Guillermo inhaled, and the look that crossed his face was not a pleasant one.

" I think Vamp-Doc already guessed," Chase said.

" You can't all go through with that," Guillermo said.

" You're not our boss," Kyrah told him.

" Yeah, we're like Panther, we do what we want," Carmen told him.

" I'm going to get Josef," he said, then got up and hurried out.

" Okay, you've spooked him," I said. " What's going on? And no beating around the bush or lying, either."

" We want you, Mick, and Guillermo to change all of us," Kyrah immediately spoke up. My jaw very nearly dropped at that, but I managed to shut my mouth after about three seconds.

" You – what?" I asked, my mind trying to process the words.

" We all want to become like you and the rest of your new vamp world," Lizana said.

" We talked about it while we thought you were dead, and we all agreed that if you woke up normal, and last night, and we all agreed that we don't want to continue being humans without you being with us," Chase said.

" We don't want to lose you in a decade or so when you have to start moving around to keep your secret," Kyrah put in.

I glanced at Morgan. " I tried to talk them out of it," she said. " Sure, I want it, but when I told them yesterday I'd been planning to do it before I turned thirty-one, I didn't think they'd come up with the idea to get themselves turned."

I still couldn't think of a really appropriate thing to say. Then, Mick walked in – without knocking – and all but Morgan and I tensed.

" You can't let them do this," Mick said, his gaze directly on me.

" Er, if they – if they want to, then ain't nothin' I could do would stop 'em," I told him.

" You can't agree to this," he said, then looked from one of my friends to the other. " You have no idea how much you'll have to give up for this existence. The friends, the experiences."

" We'll have each other, and Carmen's really the only one with family. The rest of us lost our families either by accidents, or to disease, or we never even knew 'em," Kyrah said with a shrug.

" You'd give up your humanity so easily?" Mick asked, and I could sense the disbelief in him. My nose was part of the reason.

" Hey, you think being human is such a picnic? We have to worry about a lot more than you vamps do," Lizana said.

" Such as?" a lilting voice asked, and Mick's eyes widened as a gorgeous woman walked into the loft.

" What the hell is this place, Grand Central Station?" I sarcastically asked, wrinkling my nose when I sensed the woman was like Mick and me. " And who are you to be trespassing on private property?"

" I was sent for you," she said, and Mick stiffened.

" You're not taking her anywhere," Mick said, moving as if to stand in front of me. I nixed that by getting to my feet and moving around him.

" Sent for me by who, for what?" I asked.

" My brother wishes to study you. If you do not agree to come with me, he will kill off your friends one by one, as well as anyone you know in this city, until you agree to come with us," she told me.

" Josef will never allow this, Coraline," Mick told the woman.

" Girls, why don't you go on into my bedroom, and barricade yourself. I need to take out the Euro-Trash that's about to come through the door in thirty seconds," I told the girls. One look from me sent them scurrying for the bedroom; they knew when to be crazy, and when _not_ to be stupid.


	10. Chapter 10

WARNING: Some sexual tension-slash-kinkiness involved in this chapter/ep. Some violence as well. R&R always appreciated.

_**Episode Ten**_

And thirty seconds after I'd said what I did, six men poured in through the now-open loft doorway.

" Look, just like I said, Euro-Trash," I sarcastically said. " Knew I shoulda locked and bolted the door."

" We would have broken it down," the guy with one jet-black eye said.

" And you would've pissed me off worse than you are now," I retorted.

" Panther, you need to get out of here, right now. Get your friends and go," Mick told me.

" We are not talking to you, St. John," the leader of the six men told him.

" You're not touching any of them, Lance," Mick replied.

" Why don't both of you shut the hell up," I sweetly suggested, causing One-Eye to smirk. " What the hell are you smirking at?" I asked him.

" Your attitude is very refreshing," he said. " Very – attractive. I would enjoy your company, even if only for a short time."

I mimed gagging, which didn't amuse anyone, save the woman, who tried to hide her amusement by looking away.

" I wouldn't go with you if you had a silver stake pressed to my heart," I told him.

The man's face took on a really pissed off look. He made a grab for me, but I dodged backward, avoiding him.

" You will come with me, young one, or your friends will be killed," he warned me.

" Y'see, threatening me, I could deal with," I said, keeping how really mad I was hidden. " But threatening my friends – well, that just won't do."

" You think you can stop us?" he asked, then nodded at one of the men. The man started towards the bedroom door, and I snarled as I leapt forward – and cursed as the man that had been starting towards my bedroom turned and met my rush head on, easily taking me down, and right on top of the new coffee table Josef had had brought in some time while I was asleep.

A piece of the table pierced my side, and I vamped out as I got my legs under me and flipped the man over my head. Jumping up, I snarled as I yanked the jagged wooden piece out of my side, watching as my side healed.

" Okay, now _that_ is _so_ cool," I said, then looked up at Mick. " You want to keep my friends from something this cool?"

The woman now seemed puzzled at my reaction.

" You wanted to become like us?" she asked.

" Since I was in seventh grade, I've been the biggest vampire nut I know, watching just about every movie or show made on vamps, and reading over a hundred books on 'em. I didn't get turned the way I would've chosen to be turned, but I'm glad I'm a vampire," I told her.

" You belong with our family," the leader – Lance, Mick had called him – told me. " Not with the likes of St. John."

I glanced down at the bloody piece of wood I held, then tossed it aside.

" Got a question. Who has more money, you or Kostan?" I asked, pretending to be idle as I picked up one of the other pieces of wood and twirled it around in my fingers, allowing the guy I'd tossed to slowly step up behind me.

Lance gave me a predatory smile.

" My dear, I make Kostan look like a pauper," he said.

" Panther, don't. You can't trust him," Mick said, his voice having a desperate tinge to it.

I pointed the piece of wood at Mick, slowly approaching him.

" I make up my mind about what I want to do, when I want to do it," I told him, stopping when I got close enough. Where Lance and the others couldn't see me, I swiftly transferred the silver-bullet-loaded gun I'd had tucked in my jeans from my waistband into his belt. " And I think I have a new motto. I go where the money is."

I started to turn, then thought better of it, and back-handed Mick, trying not to wince when he went sailing and crashed into the wall. When he got back to his feet, his eyes were icy-blue.

" Brothers, please restrain St. John," Lance ordered the other men with him, and the one I'd flipped – plus another one – started towards Mick. Lance himself came over to me, and I restrained my automatic instinct to shudder when he reached out and touched my cheek.

" You will make a fine companion," he told me. " You will be in your own castle in Europe within the week. You will have servants at your beck and call, to kill or do with as you please."

" I don't think so," Guillermo said as he suddenly reappeared, Josef with him, as well as the two friends that'd been with him the night I'd been shot.

" Get out of my building, Lance," Josef demanded.

Lance smiled slowly. " Why should I, Kostan? I have already persuaded your newest toy to join my little family, in exchange for her friends' lives. I got exactly what I came for," he taunted Josef. Simultaneously, Guillermo's, Josef's, and Josef's friend's eyes all turned icy blue.

" Step away from him, Panther," Josef ordered me.

" Step off, Kostan," I retorted.

Lance laughed. " Looks like I win this one, Kostan," he told Josef. " Coraline, take care of her friends," he added to the woman.

I started towards her, but he grabbed me, tossing me through the air. I crashed into the wall, leaving a dent, then crashed to the floor. Hissing, I flipped back to my feet, my eyes full of hatred as I glared at Lance.

" You did not think I would fall for such an obvious ploy," he said.

" You're a Frenchie. I thought I could fool you into anything," I retorted, enjoying the pissed-off look that came to his face.

" This little newborn is mine," he told the other men as his one good eye turned icy blue. And just like that, each of the other five men leapt, one each at Josef, Mick, Guillermo, and Josef's two friends. Lance slowly approached me, and I backed up, afraid now. " Had you truly agreed to my offer, you would have wanted for nothing."

Hearing a scream, I jerked my head towards the bedroom, where the woman was holding a very frightened Kyrah by her throat and dragging her towards the kitchen. Even as I watched, the woman vamped out and sank her fangs into Kyrah's throat, causing her to scream. I felt something in me snap at that, and with a roar that startled even Lance, I dove for him, managing to knock him to the floor as I tried to gouge his eyes out.

He quickly got over his surprise, sending me crashing back onto my butt. I was up before I could even think, launching myself again at Lance. And again, I was thrown aside like I was trash. The sound of a shot rang out, and when I looked up, I saw one of Lance's men fall to the floor.

Lance started to rush past me towards Morgan, who was holding the gun, but Guillermo was suddenly in the way, causing me to duck to keep from getting hit myself. Turning my attention to the woman, I snarled and leapt at her, tackling her to the floor. Before I could rip her throat out, Mick hauled me off of her. I was so angry that I sent him flying with a backhand to the face.

Zipping over to Morgan, I grabbed both the guns she held, and began taking careful aim, hitting all six men twice each, though none of the shots hit where I intended; I was just glad they were hit.

This distracted the men long enough for Josef and his crew to gain a temporary upper hand. I turned the two guns toward the woman, who had been inching towards the door, and she froze.

" You hurt my friend," I snarled, then whirled and shot Lance twice more when he rushed me, one shot somehow managing to make it through his heart. Dropping the now-empty guns, I turned back towards the woman, only to find Mick barring the way.

" Get out of my way, Mick," I warned him.

" I can't let you hurt her," he said.

" I have no problem going through you," I retorted. She started to bolt for the door, and I dodged around Mick, grabbing the woman and tossing her straight into one of the pillars in the living room. Hearing something crack gave me a moment's pause, long enough for Kyrah to make a moan of pain. Mick started towards me, but I glared at him.

" Help her. She dies, I take out you and every last person that gets in my way," I snarled, then zipped over to the woman and grabbed her by the throat, pinning her to the wall.

" You help Kostan and his friends, or I swear, I'll rip your throat out right now," I warned her. She nodded, and when I released her, she moved over to intercept Lance, who was about to stake Guillermo. I started to head over to help Josef, then gasped when something was shoved straight through my chest, and through my heart.

Glancing down, I saw two long pieces of the coffee table poking through my chest. " Panther!" I heard Morgan shout. The last thing I saw before I became unconscious was Lance's triumphant face as he backhanded one of Josef's friends.

_L.A.; Friday, __November 12, 2010__; 7:00 p.m. _

My body slowly came back to me, the taste of blood in my mouth the most prominent thing I felt as I sat up and rubbed my eyes, an automatic reaction, until I realized what'd happened. Blinking my eyes open, I stiffened when I found the woman that'd bitten Kyrah standing there. I was off the bed with my arm against her throat in three seconds flat, my eyes sparking with anger as I glared at her.

Hearing footsteps, I didn't turn to see who it was.

" Panther, you need to step away from her," Mick said.

" Back off, St. John," I warned him.

He started to reach for me – I saw it out the corner of my vision – and when I turned to hit him, Josef appeared and grabbed me, pulling me away from the woman and Mick, forcing me to move backwards and sit on the bed.

" Let me go, Kostan," I told him, unflinching at the hard grip he had on my arm.

" Coraline is the one that saved you," Mick spoke up, bringing my attention back to him. " She took down Lance long enough for Josef to kill him."

" She hurt Kyrah," I put in.

" Your friend asked me to use her as a distraction," the woman spoke up. Sensing the girls huddled in the kitchen, I jerked free of Josef and sped out there, going straight to Kyrah and giving her a warm hug.

" I'm glad you're okay," I told her, then drew back. " That being said, are you completely nuts?"

" I knew that if you thought I was about to be killed, you'd get really mad," she said. " I didn't think you'd get staked in the process of going after those guys."

I smiled softly, my gaze moving over the rest of the group, stopping on Morgan.

" You've been taking lessons," I said, and she nodded. " Thanks, Pomari. I owe you one for that."

" We all owe her," Kostan said, and I forced myself not to snarl at his interruption as he, the woman, and Mick appeared from the bedroom, Guillermo coming from God only knew where, Josef's two friends with him.

" They've agreed to turn us," Chase said.

"Guillermo's changing me, Josef's changing Carmen, Coraline's changing Kyrah, and Josef's two friends are changing Chase and Lizana," Morgan told me.

I gave them all funny looks. " How did you guys talk them into that?" I asked them, wondering if everyone had gone crazy.

" Josef's friends just wanted an excuse to bite us, same for Guillermo wanting to bite Morgan, and Josef and Coraline said that people as brave as us deserved a shot at immortality," Carmen matter-of-factly told me.

I tried to keep myself civil as I turned to face the woman that'd bitten Kyrah, and would now be responsible for turning her. " You hurt her again, and no one in this room will keep me from offing you," I warned her, then started to leave.

" Where are you going?" Lizana asked.

" I'm going to go – well, I was going to find something to – er, eat, but I think I'll just go up on the roof for a while," I told her, then walked out.

Going up to the roof, I found a shady spot to sit, then plopped down on the lounge chair there, idly staring out around me, my thoughts muddled. My solidarity was interrupted by Mick appearing and sitting down beside me.

" What do you want, St. John?" I asked him.

" I couldn't stand by and watch your friends give up their humanity so easily," he said.

" It's their choice. Not much we could do to change their minds," I mumbled, then got to my feet and went over to the edge of the roof.

" Where are you going?" Mick asked.

" For a run. Tell Josef I'll be back – whenever," I told him, then started to jump, but Mick grabbed my arm.

" You're a newborn, you can't go running around the city," Mick told me.

I jerked away from him. " I do what I want, St. John. And don't follow, same for Kostan and the rest of your group," I told him, then went ahead and jumped. The landing this time was smooth, and I stayed on my feet. Shaking myself off, I pulled a pair of sunglasses out of my pocket, then took off running, trying to put as much distance between me and Josef as possible before he caught up with me.

_L.A.; Saturday, __November 13, 2010__; 11:00 a.m. _

I was relaxing on the roof of Mick's building when I sensed someone heading up via the roof access stairs. I was at the edge of the roof before I could think, but before I could jump, Coraline appeared. She was the last person I'd expected to come looking for me, so I stepped away from the roof's edge, staying where I was as she approached.

" I thought none of you people would find me until at least tonight," I idly said as she stopped a few feet away.

" You fed last night," she said, and I slowly nodded.

" Yeah, and this morning too," I told her. " By the way, sleeping in a freezer sucks."

A soft smile came to her face then. " It isn't the most comfortable way to sleep," she agreed.

" So, Kyrah and the others like us now?" I asked her.

" Their turning went smoothly. Josef, Guillermo, and I took them out to hunt last night," she said.

I made a face at that. " The two guys I bit stank of cigarette smoke and were passed-out drunk."


	11. Chapter 11

WARNING: Some sexual tension-slash-kinkiness involved in this chapter/ep. Some violence as well. R&R always appreciated.

_**Episode Eleven**_

We were silent for several moments after that.

" Josef wants you to return to his building," Coraline finally spoke up to break the silence.

" I don't want to go back yet," I told her. " Least while I'm not around any vamps, no one can tell me what to do."

" I didn't think anyone could anyway," she said, and I grinned at that.

" True," I said, then glanced out over the roof again, glad for the shade the clouds in the sky above provided.

" Would you like me to keep you company?" Coraline asked me.

" Uh, why would you want to hang out with me. I tried to kill you last night," I told her.

" I don't hold that against you. Your loyalty to your friends is something to be admired, especially in today's world," she said.

I inclined my head in agreement. " Yeah, we're a tough bunch of girls. If one of us is threatened, the rest of us close in, kinda like a wolf pack."

" Your friends made that clear last night," Coraline said, which made me smile.

" Man, this is not where I thought life was leading me," I said. " Vamps being real, fooling around with one, then getting turned, all in the same month – it's all a little mind-boggling."

Coraline pulled me into a comforting hug, which stunned me, but I eagerly hugged her back, glad that I seemed to have found another friend.

" I can help you get through this," she assured me. Then " If you would rather not return to working for Josef, I could offer you a home anywhere you want, to give you time to adjust to everything."

" Um, question. Why are you being so nice?" I wanted to know.

" I betrayed Mick when I turned him. I would like the chance to make it up to at least one newborn," she said.

Before I could reply, Josef suddenly appeared. I'd been so busy talking with Coraline, I hadn't thought to keep my senses open for anyone else. Tensing, I started to jump, but Coraline grabbed my arm, stopping me.

" I think the two of you should talk," she told me. " He came to find you himself – he must care for you." This was said in a very low whisper, so low I almost didn't catch it. With that, she turned and left, via the roof access door.

Staying where I was, I turned my back on Josef as he approached.

" I had Mick and my friends searching all night for you," Josef told me, coming up behind me, then slowly putting his arms around me. Feeling his fangs lightly nip my neck, I leaned back against him, enjoying his closeness now. " I should punish you for trying to avoid me."

" Do it, then," I whispered, and when his fangs roughly sank into my throat, I vamped out, the passion that bloomed in me immediately leading me to grab one of his arms and bite into his wrist. We each took an equal amount from the other, the act stirring heat all throughout my body, and I was sad when he quit feeding.

Turning me to face him, he gripped my arms in a way that totally turned me on, even as his face went back to its human look.

" I want you," he told me. I started to smirk, then jerked away from him.

" Catch me if you can, Fang-Man," I replied, then turned and leapt off the building in one leap, taking off running the second right after my feet touched the ground.

_L.A.; Monday, __November 15, 2010__; 10:00 p.m. _

A grin was on my face as Morgan picked up her cards for the next round of Texas Hold 'Em Poker. Josef had called in Mick and Coraline to play poker, but the girls and I had tagged along, and Morgan and Josef's other two friends had wound up showing up as well. And Morgan wasn't playing all Miss-Goody-Goody, either, nor was she losing that much.

" C'mon, Pomari," I urged her on, and Josef shot me a look. " As much as I love fooling around with you, I gotta stick with her on this."

" That's right. Speaking of sticking it, I raise the pot by ten," she said, using one of the little gold pieces that Josef and his friends used to raise the stakes.

One of Josef's friends whistled. " You sure you have the money and the cards?" he asked Morgan, briefly vamping out, for about two seconds.

Morgan arched a perfectly-plucked eyebrow, then smiled slowly, a smile the rest of our group knew meant trouble for whoever it was directed at.

" I have what I need. Do you?" she asked, and the other guy chuckled as they all put in for another ten. Two minutes later, and Mick, Coraline, and Josef's two friends folded.

" Still rooting for her?" Josef asked me.

" Chicks before sticks," I casually replied, and Coraline tried to hide a soft amused smile.

" Put up or get up, Kostan," Morgan told him. Mick and the other two guys each arched an eyebrow at Morgan's choice of words. Josef seemed amused as well, then put his cards on the table. Her face taking on a look of sadness, Morgan gave me a look I knew well enough to know that the look was a completely fake one, used when she played against someone outside of our group.

" Sorry, Panther. I don't think you'll be able to afford that Blu-Ray collection you wanted," Morgan apologized to me.

" I thought Josef was going to give her the money," Coraline said.

" Then he'll have to go to the bank," Morgan said, her face breaking out in a broad smile as she laid her cards down. " Boom bam, baby!"

I grinned and slapped Morgan a high-five, thoroughly enjoying the looks on Josef's and his friends' faces. The girls all started laughing, all of them clapping Morgan on the back as I went over to Josef and gave him a consolatory squeeze on the shoulder.

" Sorry, boys, Coraline. You've just been cleaned out by our group's poker champion," I told them.

" Man, two grand down the drain," one of Josef's friends muttered. I smirked as Morgan handed me a thousand dollars.

" Thanks for not telling them my tells," she said, and all attention turned to me. I shrugged as I tucked the wad straight into my dress.

" What can I say, I love money," I said, trying to keep a straight face as I said that.

" Apparently you don't love your job," Josef idly said.

I gave him a look. " I can always get another job, Kostan."

He briefly arched an eyebrow. " Not in this city."

" Really? Say, Morgan, how much would you pay for a bodyguard-slash-masseuse?" I asked her.

" If I keep playing them at poker with this kind of luck, I could pay you what Josef does. Even if I don't, I still have the job with _Eternal_," Morgan pointed out.

I smirked at Josef. " See. Told ya."

" Gentlemen, I think we were played," Coraline said, and the girls, Morgan, and I broke out in fits of laughter again.

_L.A.; Tuesday, __November 16, 2010__; 9:00 a.m. _

A frown creased my face as I tried to relax on my living room couch. Coraline had gotten a call from one of Lance's people earlier, and after a rapid-fire conversation in French, she'd abandoned me here in my loft. Josef was on a business trip to New York, Mick was on a case and Beth was with him, and Morgan was on her way to do a shoot for _Eternal_ in San Francisco – the girls were all with her, because they wanted to have some fun away from the watchful eyes of Josef, Guillermo, Mick, and Coraline. They were going to be staying in Frisco for a full week, unbeknownst to the ones that'd turned us – so I was all alone.

Not liking it one bit, I got up and grabbed my sunglasses, then headed into my bedroom. Slipping out of my clothes, I slipped on a bathing suit, then slid my beach over-clothes on. Sliding my feet into comfortable shoes, I grabbed my beach bag, then started to head for the door. Remembering that I needed to feed if I was going to go swimming, I groaned, then went over to the special fridge in the kitchen, grabbing six of the blood bags, warming them all up, and downing them all in ten minutes.

Making a face, I threw the bags away, then left the loft. Sam saw me and tried to stop me from leaving, but I easily bypassed him and Jonas, then climbed into my rented car and headed for Morgan's hotel.

_L.A.; Monday, __November 22, 2010__; 11:00 a.m. _

A soft smile was on my face as I finished doing my exercises. I had today off – courtesy of myself; I didn't feel like working, Josef wasn't back yet, and as such, I was the boss of the building – so I was relishing in it, trying to hone my muscles. I didn't have to worry about losing them, but I knew Mick exercised, so I figured if he did, I might as well start doing it, too.

My thoughts were interrupted when there was a knock on the loft door. My senses expanded, and I lightly inhaled, wincing when the images that bombarded my mind told me the person on the other side was not only vampire, but very, very old. The fact that I could smell no recent sings of violence did nothing to ease my fears, so I made sure my silver-bullet guns were within easy reach before I opened the door.

" Can I help you?" I asked, ready to dive for the guns if I had to.

The man calmly handed me an envelope. " Delivery for Panther, courtesy of King Louis XVI," he said. Both my eyebrows briefly arched halfway to my hairline.

" Y'know, I might be new to this immortality stuff, but that old dude's been dead for centuries," I said.

Now the guy arched one of his eyebrows. " I can assure you, Mademoiselle, I am not dead," the man said.

I rolled my eyes. " Y'might as well come on in. I can Google your pic and get the truth in ten minutes," I told him, stepping aside. And ten minutes later, I was ready to literally jump straight through the glass windows of the loft, because – save for minor facial differences, like the man's face being younger, the hair color, and the hair style and length – the man's statement seemed to be true.

" Oh. Crap," I muttered, feeling like I really needed to get someplace safe.

Sensing my tension and fear, the vamp – God, King-freaking-Louis! – got to his feet and came to stand beside me.

" I believe I have improved my looks since then," Louis – as he'd said to call him – said, then reached past me and logged me off the internet.

" What – do you want with – with me?" I asked, forcing myself not to dive right for the guns where I'd laid them down.

" I wanted to thank you for ending the reign of Lance and his brothers. Over the centuries, they have become thorns in my side, and within the past few months, have sought to overthrow me as the leader of our bloodline, when I refused to kill Coraline," he said.

" I – I didn't – didn't kill them. That was – was – Josef, and Guillermo, and Mick, and Coraline, and – and two of Josef's friends," I stammered.

" Nonetheless, you are still the one I wish to thank," he said. " You know nothing of my past, nothing of my vampire history, and though I've changed somewhat, the ones that protect you would not approve of me being even within the same city as you."

His words came barely a scant two seconds before he softly inhaled and turned towards the door. When I turned towards the door, I was just in time to see Coraline appear, Mick with her.

" Louis," Coraline said, and if her face could've paled, it would've.

" Coraline," Louis replied, politely inclining his head.

" Panther, we need to get you out of here, right now," Mick said, his eyes moving between me and Louis.

Louis chuckled softly. " I did not come here to harm the newborn, St. John. Had I wanted her dead, I would've killed her the second she opened the door. I came to deliver a present to her."

" You don't give presents to strange newborns," Coraline said.

" To one as sassy as this, I do," Louis said, then nodded at the envelope he'd brought. " I think you'll find that particularly interesting, my child." Then he touched my shoulder, prompting me to get to my feet. I still felt afraid, but something about the guy drew me in. " I would leave you with one last gift, until we chance to meet again."

" Louis, please, do not harm her," Coraline begged.

" I want to offer my blood to her," Louis said, causing my gaze to swing up to his face.

" You – want me to – drink from you?" I asked him.

" My blood is very ancient, with centuries of power that even compared with Kostan's aged blood is more strengthening," Louis said.

I felt like I was caught in a hard place, because drinking blood wasn't one of my favorite things. Then again, I did _not_ want to tick off a vampire as old as Louis.

" Um, okay," I hesitantly said. Mick's body was all tension and coiled muscles as Louis held his arm out to me. Gulping, I allowed my face to change, then took Louis' arm in my hands. Nervously, I lowered my mouth towards his wrist, and when my fangs sliced easily through his skin, the taste of the blood as it hit my tongue, nearly made me fall flat, because his blood had a strange sort of taste to it. My grip tightened on his arm and hand, and I began to steadily feed, drinking until he pulled away. My eyes closed, I leaned against one of the living room pillars, my body trying to process the power that came with taking his blood.

About two minutes later, I opened my eyes again, staring at Louis, who politely inclined his head to me. " _Au_ _revoir_, Mademoiselle," he said, then quickly left. His leaving came about twenty seconds before Josef arrived. He took one look at me, then looked at Coraline and Mick, who suddenly decided they had better things to do than stick around.

Going over to the envelope Louis had left, Josef opened it and read over the first page. " He left you Lance's personal estate," he said.

" Wait, what?" I asked.

" To the tune of over a billion dollars," Josef went on. " Makes me look like a pauper."

I snatched the paper from him and sped-read over it; I was a speed-reader, had been for years. Seeing that what he said was true, I let out a loud whoop, then started dancing around the living room, stopping when I noticed the look on Josef's face.

" Aww, afraid I'll quit work and leave the city and you behind in a cloud of dust?" I asked him.

" You've got the resources to move anywhere, live any way you want," Josef said, seeming angry, and sad.

Dropping the paper to the floor, I grabbed Josef, then playfully pinned him to the wall. " Don't think so, Kostan, leastwise, not for a decade or so. You're stuck with me," I told him. He gave me a blank look, then promptly reversed our positions.

" You don't want to leave?" he asked.

" Nah, man, you've grown on me like moss on a tree," I replied, pouring on the Southern accent and using a Southern-type phrase, which I usually did for laughs.

Josef's eyes then changed, and with a growl, he started to bite my throat. Laughing, I shoved him, holding in the howls of laughter that threatened when he went tumbling ass over teakettle over the couch. Zipping for the bedroom, I reached it a scant second before he did, and with an angry-happy growl, he grabbed me and tossed me through the air. I landed on the bed, and he landed right with me, his fangs tearing into my throat with a savageness that caused my back to arch up off the bed.

_**THE END**_


End file.
